Trust
by NintendoGal55
Summary: Nick Wilde never truly trusted anyone since he was a child. But things change when he puts his trust in Judy Hopps. Something he never thought possible. Rated for suggestive bits.
1. Part 1

**Hello folks! This is my first attempt at a** _ **Zootopia**_ **fanfic. Obviously! XD Anyway, so I just kind of wanted to touch on a couple of moments in the movie from Nick's perspective. Like the title says, that's our theme!**

 **WARNING! SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!**

 **So, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want to be spoiled, now's your chance to turn back!**

 **Also, while I do ship WildeHopps SO hard, I couldn't quite make it happen here. XP Movie timeline and all. But, I certainly will drop a few hints in the fact that it will eventually go in that direction.**

 **Plus, I always pictured Nick crushing first. ;)**

* * *

I had time to recover over the past while, but boy, my mind was still blown. I don't think anything's ever blown my mind like this before. Not once in all my life did I feel like I was inches away from facing death. Didn't they say that someone's life flashed before their eyes when they had a near-death experience? Mine sure didn't. Whoever said that lied to me!

But even that wasn't on my mind right now. All I could focus on was Judy. She was trying to explain herself to that giant buffalo chief of police about why our savage panther magically disappeared.

It was only when she pointed toward me and addressed me by name that my attention was fully grabbed. She beckoned me with her paw, but I wasn't sure what to do or even what to say. Still, I came out into the light so the chief could see me properly. Not gonna lie, this guy's huge. He could probably squish me if he wanted to. And frankly, I wasn't gonna antagonize something WAY bigger than me, let alone a police chief.

The chief looked like Judy had grown a second head, "You think I'm going to believe a _fox_?"

I almost rolled my eyes at this, but there was no way I'd let him see that.

"W-Well, he was a key witness-" Judy started to say, sounding more desperate by now.

"Two days to find the otter... or you quit. That was the deal." The chief cut her off before holding a hand out to her. "Badge."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Judy wasn't kidding when she said that she had only two days to solve this case. But to quit if she didn't? What was up with that? As far as I knew, anyway, she didn't do anything that would've warranted getting fired. I felt a stinging feeling in my gut as I realized what was happening.

Judy looked mortified, "Sir, we-"

"Badge!" The chief bellowed, sticking his hand out further.

My heart fell to my stomach as I saw how _destroyed_ Judy looked. This wasn't a matter of challenging herself to finish a case. Her job had been on the line. And I singlehandedly ruined it for her by wasting her time. Sure, I didn't know that at the time, but it didn't make what I did right. Even being roped into this with blackmail didn't justify it. Or if it did, I didn't want it to anymore.

This was insane, not to mention completely unfair. I looked at Judy and I knew I had to help her. Seeing her this sad was killing me inside, more than I wanted to admit. I almost grabbed at my chest, it hurt so bad. Not just that, but this bunny saved my life. When she had every right to save herself and not worry about me. She could've had this and yet she took the time to _save me_. After everything I did and said to her.

I didn't deserve it at all. But I wasn't going to make her regret saving me, let alone bringing me along. Judy didn't deserve this unfair treatment just because she was a bunny and had some bad luck.

"Uh, no." I said, inwardly cursing myself for not speaking up louder.

Luckily, the chief heard and looked over at me with a warning glare, "What did you say, fox?" He demanded.

Perfect. I had his attention. I didn't exactly feel crazy about standing up to a three-ton buffalo, but I knew what I had to do. I was _not_ letting Judy leave here without her badge. "Sorry. What I said was, _nooo._ She will not be giving you that badge."

Now the chief was looking at me with disbelief.

A part of me was saying to shut up and run. But I was in way too deep to stop now. Besides, Judy was looking at me with surprise and yet hopefulness. Not gonna lie, my heart melted. Maybe I was just glad to be depended on for once. I don't know, but either way, I was gonna give Buffalo Butt a piece of my mind.

"Look, you gave her a clown vest and a three-wheeled jokemobile and two days to solve a case that you guys haven't cracked in _two weeks_?" I asked, going over to them now. I stared at him with equal disbelief and he just narrowed his eyes at me. Oh yeah, I was in trouble, but I didn't care. It felt good to help like this, especially after she'd done the same for me. Under false pretenses, but her defending me was plenty real.

I went on, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Yeah. No wonder she needed to get help from a fox. None of you guys were gonna help her, were you?"

Now the chief was getting mad, even stepping toward me while raising his fist, but I didn't care. He knew I was right and he knew this didn't look good for him. Nailed it. But I couldn't stop there, no way. I had more.

"Here's the thing, chief. You gave her the forty-eight hours, so technically, we still have..." I thought for a moment to make sure my calculations were correct. "Ten left to find our Mr. Otterton. And that's exactly what we're gonna do!" I looked over to see that a gandola was already approaching the dock, perfect timing. "So, if you'll excuse us, we have a very big lead to follow and a case to crack. Good day."

And with that, I just turned and walked away, not even letting him respond. Not that he could, anyway. I just slammed him down and he knew it. Judy followed me, at least after she tried to speak to the chief, but gave up. When we reached the gandola, I smiled toward Judy and stepped aside to let her go first. Con artist or not, I was still a gentlefox.

"Officer Hopps," I told her, knowing that it was going to make her feel better to hear that.

Judy didn't really look at me as she got in, but I could tell she was probably just overwhelmed by this. I couldn't blame her, this was one heck of a life-changing situation. But it wasn't just that, I bet she was surprised that I stood up for her. No wonder, I mercilessly teased her ever since she caught me selling those pawpsicles. I even outright crushed her dreams when all she truly wanted was to be a good cop. Funny, I could remember thinking just like she did a long time ago. It was hitting way too close to home by now.

I followed her into the tram, which pulled away seconds after I did. We stood on opposite sides, not saying anything to each other. Fine by me, I had a feeling she was going to start getting sappy and emotional after all that. Since she wasn't, maybe I didn't have to worry about it.

Still, I couldn't help wondering what she was thinking about. But anything I wanted to say just wasn't coming to mind. What _could_ I say after what happened? Funny, here I was, a smooth talker, completely at loss for words. But maybe that was a good thing, I needed a few minutes to gather my thoughts. I was still reeling from everything that happened earlier. Not just that, but it made me wonder what was next. Not just for me, but for her, for us. I didn't even know. Did I want to know?

There was one thing I knew for sure. Judy was something else; completely unlike any other girl I'd ever met, vixen or otherwise. Even with her naivete, she was bound and determined to do her best at what she believed in. I didn't think she'd even last this long, but she took me completely by surprise since I first met her. She wasn't just some naive little bunny, she was more than that.

I couldn't even believe this was happening. None of it. Then again, I wasn't complaining. It felt... nice. Really nice. A very warm and welcoming feeling was coming over my heart and even my entire body. I hadn't felt this way around anybody in a long, long time. It felt so strange, but I guess that comes with the fact that I never had anyone like her in my life. My mother, maybe, but that was different.

My thoughts were cut off when I heard Judy's voice speak up softly. "Thank you..."

I barely glanced at her, "Never let 'em see that they get to you."

She was quiet for a moment or so, then asked, "So... things _do_ get to you?"

"Well, I mean..." I looked off into the darkness of the passing rainforest, "not anymore, but... I was small and emotionally unbalanced like you once."

"Har har." I heard Judy say sarcastically.

Usually, this was the part where I followed it up with a snarky response just to make it funnier. And truth be told, a part of me did want to break the emotional tension going on right now. But for once, I just couldn't do it. The compelling feeling inside just wasn't going away and I wasn't ready to let it up yet.

"No, it's true. I was..." I thought for a second, trying to remember. I knew this was going to be painful, but somehow, I just felt compelled to share it. "...Eight, maybe nine, and all I wanted to do was to join the Junior Ranger Scouts."

Oh yeah, _that_ memory. I could practically see it playing before me. Everything about it still hurt, at least a little bit. Yet, I didn't feel weird talking about it. If anything, it felt good. I didn't think I'd ever tell this story, not to anyone. But Judy was bringing it out of me without even _trying_. Whatever this feeling was, it felt so natural. Like I could tell her anything.

Was this what animals called trust? I guess it had to. I was trusting her with a big part of myself that I never told to anybody. Relaying the story felt, to a degree, a bit painful. But good. Judy listened the entire time, didn't say a word, and barely made a sound. It's as if as she wasn't there. But I knew she was there. Even without looking at her, I could _feel_ her eyes watching me. It was almost embarrassing.

Yet, knowing she wasn't laughing at me or judging me helped a whole lot.

The memories slowly faded, which was a relief, I was beginning to feel a bit too emotional. It's a good thing I can hide them pretty well. I couldn't let Judy see me like that.

"I learned two things that day," I said, keeping my voice calm and even. "One, I was never gonna let anyone see that they got to me."

By now, the morning light was brighter and made it easier to see the rest of Zootopia coming up. Something about it was soothing, which I definitely needed right now. I looked straight ahead as the tall buildings of the city were coming closer, with the streets already loaded with cars. I don't know how long I was quiet, but it was enough for Judy to break the silence.

"And... two?" She prompted me.

I knew I had to say it, so it was time to let it out. "If the world is only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy-there's no point in trying to be anything else."

The truth of that hit me hard back then, and even now, still gnawed at my gut. But it was true, wasn't it? Why not give them every reason to believe it? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't be anything except a sly, shifty fox. I couldn't even go anywhere to get _ice cream_ without being turned away.

"Nick..." Judy's voice reached my ears again as I heard her step toward me. "You are _so much more_ than that."

She placed her paw on my arm, which sent electric currents through my body. Good thing I could hide it. But after a little while, she was lingering. Looking toward her, I slowly pulled away and tried to distract myself. Good thing I was able to hide it. Otherwise, I'd have been a blushing mess. It felt way too good. Her paw was so soft and warm. I never realized how much a tender touch could feel. I hated to admit it, but I wanted it there.

I had to stop it. I didn't want to, but I had to. This was far too awkward. I had to get my thoughts straight again. Just for now. I could thank her later, when I wasn't feeling so weird about it all. I had to focus on the case. It was weird, I wasn't in it to get that carrot pen back anymore. I didn't even _care_ about it. I just wanted to help Judy.

And by God, I was going to do everything I could to prove that to her.

* * *

" _Carrots_!" I cried, turning back around. To my horror, Judy was on the ground, clutching at her leg. Whatever happened, she hurt herself pretty bad. Quickly, I picked her up, "I gotcha!"

Making sure she was safe against me, I ran toward the nearest light source that was located around a large pillar. Safe, at least for now, I carefully set Judy and the case down on the floor. Sure enough, she'd cut her leg, and pretty badly. This was not looking good at all. I didn't even have the time to realize that Bellweather, of all people, was the criminal mastermind. And was using Judy like a pawn. It made me furious, but I couldn't think of that now. I had to help her.

"Okay. Just relax," I told her, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my lucky handkie. "Oops!" Of course I forgot that I wrapped the blueberries in it, since they spilled out all over the floor. Still, I picked one up and held it to her, "Blueberry?" I knew it wouldn't help, but I guess I wanted to at least make her feel a bit better.

Judy barely looked at it and leaned against the case, hissing in pain. "I'll pass."

I popped it into my mouth (couldn't resist, I love blueberries!) and went to work at tying the handkie around her leg. At least it'd help her for now, until I could get her back to the station and get some medical attention.

Unfortunately, we couldn't relax for too long. We heard Bellweather calling Judy's name somewhere nearby. Right where we came in. I felt dread inching into my stomach, but I couldn't let that get to me. Not when I had to help Judy.

Before I could even move, Judy turned to me and held the suitcase out toward me. Wait. No... she wasn't thinking-

"Take the case!" She whispered desperately. "Get it to Bogo!"

She was. I couldn't believe it. Did she really think I was going to be okay with that? After all we'd been through? No way was I doing that. "I'm not gonna leave you behind! That's not happening!" I whispered back.

"I can't walk!" Judy whispered loudly.

"Just a minute!" I said, looking around myself for anything that could help us. But all I could see were the blueberries scattered around the floor. "We'll think of something."

Up ahead, we could hear Bellweather still calling out to her, blabbing about this whole ordeal. This was not good. She and her goons were going to find us any minute. Or maybe she already knew where we were and was toying with us. I wasn't sure, but I couldn't wait around to find out.

"I'll carry you, it's fine!" I said, trying to help her up.

"Nick, you can't!" Judy whispered, shaking her head, "The case and I are too heavy for you!"

"I'm not leaving you, Judy!" I whispered, trying to keep my voice calm.

She looked at me with shock, like she truly couldn't believe I wasn't willing to leave her. "Nick... I-I can't let you do that!"

"Yes you can! If I leave you behind, Bellweather will _kill you_!" I said, holding on to her shoulders.

"But we can't let her get her paws on the serum!" Judy insisted, pushing the case toward me again. "She won't shoot me with it-she's going to shoot _you!_ "

I stared at her, shocked. "What?"

"Think about it, Nick. Even if she did dart me and I went savage, it wouldn't work! You're a fox, and a bunny going savage against a predator just undermines the entire scheme!" Judy whispered, pushing the case into my paws. "But since you're a fox and I'm a bunny-"

"She'd use me to kill you, since we're natural enemies and I'm a predator." I realized with abject horror. "To get you out of the picture and put me away."

Oh no. If that happened, I don't know what I would do with myself. It was a horrible image to even try to imagine. Killing Judy wasn't an option, but me going savage and killing her? I would cut my own tail off with my bare paws before I'd ever consider hurting her! No, I couldn't let it happen! This had to be Bellweather's plan. She was trying to corner us.

I looked down at the case now in my paws, then at the blueberries on the floor. Quickly, I opened up the case and took out the gun.

"Nick! What are you doing?!" Judy hissed, wide-eyed. "The serum is in there!"

"I know this looks crazy, but I need you to trust me!" I said, opening the ammo slot. The serum was right there, housed in its perfect little ball. Even though touching it made me wince, I took it and shoved it into my pocket. Then I picked up a few blueberries, replacing the serum with them.

Perfect. I put the gun back into the case and closed it up.

"Nick?" Judy said softly, her tone worried.

"Carrots... Do you trust me?" I said then.

She didn't hesitate, "Of course I do."

I looked at her, then placed the case back into her paws, "If she wants me to go savage, then that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I just need you to trust me. I won't let anything happen to you, Judy."

"Nick..." Judy uttered, looking at me with a mix of emotions. Then she smiled and put her paw on my arm, "I do trust you, Nick. Let's do this."

"Glad to hear it." I smiled back, picking her up, "C'mon, we have to get out of here!"

"Wait!" Judy stopped me, then hesitated. "Support me on my left side."

I nearly questioned her about it, but then I realized what she meant. Grinning, we then picked up a bunny statue and placed it into the light, hoping Bellweather would fall for it. Now we just had to get out of there.

This was working out good, we just had to make sure Bellweather took the bait. Then again, considering how she was acting, she was going to fall right into our trap.

"Here," I said, putting the carrot pen into her pocket, "You're gonna need this."

Judy looked at me, then nodded as we kept running. I looked around for anything to lead Bellweather right to us. A piece of metal, perfect! As we passed by it, I picked it up and dropped it loudly to the floor. I knew they were on our tails, so we tried speed it up at least a little bit.

We came into a room where there was a circular pit in the middle, mimicking a wild clearing. Behind us, Bellweather's henchsheep were giving chase and gaining on us. Even though it was our intent to get caught, this was not something we saw coming. One of her henchsheep came at us right from the side, way too fast for me to register, and knocked right into us. The suitcase was knocked out of my paw and went sliding across the floor. We went flying like a couple of rag dolls. Right into the pit.

Why did I see that coming?

Before we were able to gather ourselves, we could hear Bellweather's hooves clicking almost sinisterly across the floor above us. She was even _giggling_ with glee. It sounded pleasant, but it sent a chill down my spine. I just hoped she didn't somehow have an extra dose of the serum on her. Otherwise, we'd be toast.

I reached over to help Judy, but Bellweather came into view, sneering down at us and carrying the case in her paws.

"Bunny should've stayed on the carrot farm, huh? It really is too bad... I did like you," she said, looking toward Judy with false remorse.

"What are you gonna do? Kill me?" Judy demanded, sitting up now.

I knew what Judy was going for, but hearing those words were still horrible to hear. Luckily, looking that terrified at least fooled Bellweather.

Bellweather laughed, as if she'd said something funny. "Oh, no! Of course not. _He_ is."

I didn't even have time to react before she had the gun right out and shot at me. The blueberry dart hit me right in the neck, which did pinch me a little bit. But I had to play the part as I fell back and rolled over, clutching my neck.

" _No!_ " Judy cried, rushing over and putting her paws on my back. "Oh, Nick!"

I had to hand it to her, she did sound genuinely upset. Good! If she was able to keep this up, we'd have this in the bag. This wasn't going to be a problem for me, I could act savage if I wanted to. I just hoped that Judy wouldn't be scared of me after this. It _did_ have to look real, after all.

No time for doubts, I was putting my trust in her.

I could hear Bellweather talking into her phone, sounding panicked, "Yes, police! There's a savage fox in the natural history museum! Officer Hopps is down! Please hurry!"

Now Judy sounded desperate as she clutched at my back while I was writhing, "No! Nick! Don't do this! Fight it!"

"Oh, he can't help it, can he?" Bellweather said cheerfully, "Since preds are biologically predisposed to be savages!"

That was it, time to act savage. The only warning I gave Judy were my ears rearing back, my body rising up on all fours and letting out a loud growl. I even curled my lips into a snarl for more effect. Creeping toward her on all fours, I focused on her as she ran away from me. I broke into a run also, but was stopped short when she tossed a fake stuffed deer at me.

The diversion knocked me down, but before I chucked it away, I had an idea. Just to sell it more to Bellweather, I tore up and scratched at the fake deer. I felt bad for ruining museum property, but at least I wouldn't have to use drastic moves on Judy.

"Gosh, think of the headlines!" Bellweather went on, thankfully oblivious to our act. At least, I hope she was. " _Hero Cop Killed By Savage Fox!_ "

I finished tearing up the deer, then turned my attention back to Judy. She was hiding on a rock within the fake tall grass. I didn't want to scare her, but I knew a slow approach would be perfect. So I crept in through the grass, growling loudly, as I listened to the exchange between her and Bellweather.

"So that's it? Prey fears predator and you stay in power?" Judy called up to her. How did Bellweather not catch on? You'd think that if I actually were savage, she'd do everything to keep quiet.

"Yeah, pretty much," Bellweather replied coyly, coming around so she could see us better.

Judy remained indignant, "It won't work!"

"Fear _always_ works," Bellweather declared, looking at her wickedly as she poised the gun against her shoulder. "And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way!"

I growled loudly, creeping in closer. To Bellweather, it was just me being savage. But it was really to warn Judy about my approach. Sure enough, she gasped and looked at me. She wasn't scared. Startled, yes, but not scared. I couldn't help feeling relieved knowing that she _did_ trust me in this.

"Oh, Nick... No..." Judy uttered, backing away from me a bit.

I would've melted if I didn't have to stay in character. Something about her voice and the way she said my name, plus everything else, felt really nice. But I had to keep at it, just a little bit more.

I could hear Beallweather chuckling sinisterly. "Bye bye, _Bunny_."

That made me sick. I knew I should've seen it coming, but threatening _my_ Carrots like that made me want to rip _her_ apart. But at least it gave me more reason to growl, since it was directed at her, not Judy.

Speaking of Judy, I was right in front of her now, and I met her eyes. Any doubts I had about this plan were gone. Judy's nose wasn't twitching and her eyes weren't filled with fear. They were filled with trust. It was like our own secret language. She trusted me. She wasn't afraid of me. All the fear she was displaying was an act.

I had to hand it to her, she was a great actress.

To drive the point home and make Bellweather think she won, I lunged in and "bit" at Judy's neck. I didn't bite down or apply pressure so I wouldn't hurt her. Judy let out a squeal in response, like she was in pain. Or was it? Even I couldn't tell.

Not gonna lie, it did make me wish I could do _other_ things to her neck right now...

I needed to get my head examined.

"Bleh..." Judy gagged, then I pulled away and looked at her as she added more to our act. "Blood! Blood! Blood! And death!" Now she lay back against the rock, crossing her eyes and lolling her tongue out.

I couldn't help smiling at her cheesy overacting. She was so adorable. I shook my head with amusement, "Now you're milking it. Besides, I think we got it." I think we got it!" I stood up, then offered my paw to help Judy stand up as well. I grinned up at Bellweather, holding Judy close to me. "We got it up there! Thank you, yakkity yak! You laid it all out beautifully!"

Now Bellweather was shocked and confused, even looking at the gun. Oh, this was too perfect. She fell for it! This worked even better than we thought. I just had to rub it in more. "Oh, are you looking for the serum? Well, it's right here!" I took it out of my pocket and held it out for her to see.

"What've you got in there? Those are blueberries, from my family's farm!" Judy said cheerfully.

Of course I popped one into my mouth, even making an exaggerated kissy noise, "They're delicious! You should try one!"

Now Bellweather looked furious as she slapped the ammo tray back into the gun. "I framed Lionheart, I can frame you too. It'll be my word against yours." She looked at us coyly, straightening her glasses out.

I knew what Judy was going to do next, but I didn't say anything. I was going to let her have this moment. Sure enough, she took it right away.

"Actually..." Judy held out her carrot pen, hit rewind, and played the clip.

" _-and I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way!_ " Bellweather's voice played back.

"It's _your_ word against yours," Judy declared, smirking at her. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart. Boom."

You know, I definitely don't regret rubbing off on her. Especially if it lead to something like this. We got her good and that's what counted.

Bellweather tried to get away, but that was when we could hear the heavy footsteps of the police coming into the museum. This was going to be way, way too good.

After we explained everything, one of the cops was tending to Judy's leg with a first aid kit. They took Bellweather away, while she was trying to plead for mercy, but they weren't having it. I smirked as I watched them practically stuff her into one of the squad cars parked outside. It was glorious to see the villain, so to speak, get her just desserts.

I turned and went over to where Judy was sitting and knelt down next to her. Her leg had been pretty badly scraped, but at least it wasn't critical. She'd be on her feet again in a couple days. Then again, knowing her, she would be running at the station's gym by tomorrow.

"You okay, Carrots?" I asked, putting a paw on her shoulder.

Judy smiled at me and nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay. It's not the worst pain I've been in, anyway!"

"Not being able to walk _isn't_ the worst?" I quipped, grinning at her. "Man, I'd hate to see what the worst _is_ gonna be!"

"Oh shut up, you!" Judy whacked my arm playfully, laughing. "You know, Nick, for pretending you went savage, that was _really_ good! You even had me fooled for a second."

I blinked, looking at her with surprise, "I-I did?"

"Yeah. I mean, even though I knew better, it was still a bit of a shock." Judy said, chuckling a bit.

"I'm sorry," I looked away guiltily. "I was trying to make it look as real as possible but not enough to-"

Judy put a finger on my snout, shaking her head, "Don't you go apologizing, you dumb fox. There's nothing to be sorry for. You did what we planned and it went great!"

Giving a smile, I took her paw and pulled it away, but didn't let it go. "What can I say, you have to be a good actor if you're a con artist, Carrots."

"Acting's all about motivation," Judy giggled, smiling at me. She squeezed her paw around mine, sighing a bit. "Nick... I was wondering something. Would you be willing to... apply to be my partner?"

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then chuckled, "Carrots, if you seriously gotta ask me that by now, you must be a dumb bunny."

"Hey, I'm serious!" Judy pouted at me. "Besides, I saw that you filled in the application before you gave it back to me."

As much as I wanted to make a snarky remark, I decided against it. I just squeezed her paw and nodded. "Yeah, I did. I never really had a chance like that before, and for once in my life, I was ready to take it."

Judy smiled now, scooting closer to me, "Well... I still have it, you know. Not on me, obviously, but I couldn't toss it away. I guess I was... kind of hoping we'd be able to reconcile."

I chuckled, smirking at her lightly, "Why do you think I kept the carrot pen?"

"I don't know, I figure a recording device could be useful in your scams," Judy poked my nose, smirking back.

"Maybe so, but I got my reasons." I laughed, then helped her to stand up, "You ready? I'll take you home."

Judy nodded, leaning against me for support, "Sure thing, I'm ready."

We left the museum after she promised the chief she'd be in the office tomorrow to fill in the report. My mind was still reeling from everything that happened in the past few hours, but the fact it was all over made it better. The truth was out, the savaged animals would be saved, and Judy could keep her job. Pretty darn good, I'll say.

Once we came outside, I helped her down the steps and onto the curb. I knew getting to her family's truck was gonna take a while, so I went and did the next logical thing.

I picked her up into my arms and carried her.

"H-Hey! Nick! Come on!" Judy squirmed a little bit, pouting, "You don't have to carry me!"

"I know, but I want to." I teased, smirking at her. "Besides, you're light as a feather!"

Judy crossed her arms but didn't protest anymore, "Fine. But don't make a habit out of it."

She's so cute when she gets all pouty. Don't tell her that, though. "Heh, wouldn't dream of it, Carrots."

She sighed, bringing her arms around my neck and snuggling into my chest. It felt way too good, more than it should have. For once, I was glad to be a fox, since it meant that she wouldn't see my blush that easily. This was rich, a fox like me getting a little crush on a bunny. But I couldn't think of it that hard, we were just friends. I had to focus on that first.

Still, that didn't mean I wasn't gonna indulge a little bit.

"Nick..." Judy spoke up, looking at me. "Thank you. For _everything_."

I couldn't help smiling, "Nah, no need to thank me, Carrots. If anything, I should be the one thanking you."

"For what?" She asked with surprise.

"Well, like you said, everything." I said with a chuckle, "Let's just say I wouldn't be where I am now if I hadn't met you."

Now she smiled more and cuddled into me, "You know... in spite of everything, I'm glad we did. I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore, Nick."

I was surprised to hear such a thing, but the sweet smile on her face and glimmer in her eyes was sincere. It made my heart melt all over again. This bunny was going to be the death of me, I just knew it.

But at this point, I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Likewise," I told her, winking.

It was almost hard to believe that the same bunny I'd met that day would turn out to be, quite honestly, the best friend I'd ever had. I trusted her like I never trusted anyone before. This whole feeling was so foreign to me, but no way was I going to let it go again.

As I looked down at Judy, I felt my heart swell. She really was something else.

* * *

I had to drive her home since she couldn't do so with a bad leg. Even though I didn't drive that much, I _was_ able to. Mostly. Kind of. Okay, I had an expired license that I needed to take care of. But I didn't tell her that. Not yet, anyway. I'll take care of that tomorrow, Flash'll hook me up.

We finally came up to her apartment, which I could not believe qualified as one. It was _tiny_. My apartment was no luxury condo, but this was practically the size of my bathroom. I spied a bed in the corner, a single window, and a desk.

" _This_ is where you live? Even with what they pay you, you can't afford a better place?" I said incredelously.

Judy pouted, poking my nose. "Hey, I'm going to put away money to save up for a new place. Until then, I'm stuck here."

I chuckled, then went over to her bed and gently lay her there. Judy smiled at me gratefully as she got comfortable, propping up her pillow and sitting against it. Job done, I could pretty much just leave her to her own devices. But I just didn't feel right doing that yet. Before I could speak up, her voice broke my thoughts.

"So, you can sit down, if you want! I mean... if you'd like to stick around for a bit?" Judy looked at me hopefully, playing with one of her ears.

Grinning, I took the chair out and sat on it backwards. She was trying to hide it, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. I smirked at her, giving a little wink, "I don't know about you, but when that leg of yours heals, we gotta celebrate."

"I'll say we do!" Judy agreed, looking excited. "I'm not sure how just yet, but we'll think of something! Besides, I..." She pointed behind her, "I believe I have something that belongs to you."

I was confused, but turned to look at the desk. Right on the surface was the employment application I'd filled out. Taking it in my paw, I tucked it into my pocket and turned back to her. "I'll hand it in tomorrow morning."

Judy let out a happy squeal, even clapping her paws a bit. Awww, she's so adorable. Then she looked concerned before looking at me sadly, "But you'll be at the academy for six months, though."

I shrugged a bit, "That's okay, I can take it."

"No, I mean... I don't know, I'll just miss you." Judy said, rubbing her arm a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional."

Chuckling, I shook my head, "Like I said earlier, you bunnies are so emotional. But don't sweat it, Carrots. We've got email and phones, anyway. Speaking of..." I pulled out my phone, then gestured for her to do the same.

We exchanged phones, adding our contact info, and switched back. Now I just had to get an awesome photo of her! Heh, that'd be easy. Eventually.

"So, did you ever think you'd eventually become a cop? Even as a kid?" Judy asked curiously.

I gave a little shrug, "Not specifically, I guess I kind of thought I'd see where life would take me. Course, that was before the _incident_ took place."

She looked at me sympethatically, then nodded. "I see what you mean. But I really appreciate you doing it, Nick. Even if it's not what you planned."

"Hey, cool it." I chuckled, waving a finger at her. "I wouldn't do it if I really didn't want to! Besides, Officer Wilde has a neat ring to it, don't you think?"

"Heh... it does," Judy giggled. Good, she was smiling again. I liked it better when she smiled. And that perturbed scowl of hers is cute, can't forget that! "Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde, the best team on the ZPD!"

I laughed at that, then reached over and patted her arm, "I can get behind that, if you know what I mean." I winked and leaned back a bit, "Sooo, what can I get you? I'm sure you're probably starving."

"Well... I sure wouldn't mind a pizza, since I don't feel like cooking." Judy admitted, rubbing her belly.

"Not like you can in _this_ closet," I teased, whipping my phone out and scrolling through some pizza places. "Anyway, I'll get you some pizza. It's on me."

"Really? Oh come on, you don't have to."

"I don't, but I will, sweetheart."

She blushed and looked away, which made me melt. I really had to stop that, but I couldn't help it. Having a crush on someone like Judy was both amazing and yet terrifying. I knew I had to play my cards right if I was ever going to play them at all. This wasn't like the other girls I'd seen in my lifetime, it was _real_. Besides, we'd only known each other a little over a week and were already the best of pals. I don't think I ever did that sort of thing in the past, making best friends with someone I had a crush on. But hey, Judy's special to me. I never trusted anyone like I trust her.

After I called for the pizza, it was pretty quiet between us now. I didn't normally go for silence with Judy around, but at least it wasn't awkward. I just sat there, watching while she twiddled away on her phone.

Finally, Judy put her phone down and looked at me. She smiled, playing with one of her ears, "So, uh... I was wondering something, Nick... Would you come sit with me?"

My ears shot up with surprise as I looked at her, pretty sure I didn't hear her right, "Wait, what?"

"I know it sounds weird, so I'll understand if you don't want to!" Judy said quickly, holding her paws out in some kind of defensive manner. "But here's the thing. I'm a bit of a cuddle bug. And when I'm not feeling well or injured, I like to just have someone to lean on."

Awww, she's so cute! And a cuddler! I'd never say it out loud, but I'm a cuddler too. I just never had anyone to cuddle with aside from my mother. There was no way I would pass up this opportunity!

In my own foxy way, of course.

"Is that so?" I said with a smirk, leaning over the chair a bit. "Well, Carrots... I don't know. I'm gonna have to squeeze in on that tiny bed you got there. Plus there's the fact that your leg's pretty sore and I might bump it... You sure you're willing to take the risk?"

"Well of course! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Judy crossed her arms and pouted. But the twitching smile at her lips was all I needed.

So I stood up, stretched, and went over to the bed and sat down beside her. "Consider your wish granted."

Judy laughed, then snuggled up against me. She even lay her head against my chest, a lot more intimately than I expected. Before I knew it, I was blushing. Thank God for my red fur! Still, I wasn't about to let _this_ pass up, either. I stretched and yawned in an exaggerated manner, just to add to it. Then I brought my arms around her, holding her closer. Judy didn't protest, or even flinch. If anything, she seemed happy with this arrangement and cuddled in more. She was so soft and fit perfectly against me. Not because she's smaller, but something about it just felt right. I guess having a crush did that, didn't it?

After a little while, Judy broke the silence again. "Since Bogo said I could come in a little later tomorrow morning, all things considered, I was wondering if you'd like to... You know, come out for breakfast with me? I'll buy."

I looked at her with mild surprise, then chuckled a bit, "Hmmm... I think I can pencil that into my ever so busy schedule..."

"Nick, I could spend the next five minutes pointing out the logical infallicies of that statement, but I won't." Judy giggled, tapping my arm a little bit, "But I'm serious though, I'd love it if you could join me tomorrow. I think it'll be nice if we can just have a little something nice to do while moving forward."

"I know, I get it." I said, rubbing one of her ears, "Sounds like fun to me, Carrots. Just be warned, we foxes have pretty insatiable appetites!"

"Oh, really? You know, bunnies can be pretty insatiable at times, too." Judy smirked at me, her adorable buck teeth hanging out over her bottom lip. "Well, I bet I could eat you under the table!"

Oh jeez. I don't know if she realized just how dirty that sounded. It's a wonder I didn't burst with how much I was blushing. Nah, I can keep it cool. So I laughed it off and grinned, "You really think so? Then I will have to consider that a challenge."

"Good! Because that IS my challenge!" Judy poked my nose, giggling. "We'll see who's got the bigger appetite!"

"You're on, Carrots! In fact, let's make it interesting. We'll make a bet." I poked her nose right back, and it twitched in response. Awww, so cute.

"A bet? Well... okay, what kind of bet?" Judy looked at me apprehensively.

I thought for a few moments, then snapped my fingers, "I got it! If I win... no wait, sorry. _When_ I win, you have to get up and sing karaoke at the bar down the street from the station!"

Judy looked at me with disbelief, then her cheeks turned pink as she pouted slightly. "Okay, fine. But if I win, you're going to be my slave for an _entire day_!"

My ears went back. Slave? Her slave? An entire day? I was both nervous and excited about that prospect. Still, I couldn't give in _too_ easily. I had to play it cool. So I leaned back a bit, rubbing her shoulder and shrugging, "I don't know, Carrots. Sounds a little demeaning, if you ask me."

"Oh, and somehow, getting up onstage and singing off-key to a Top Forty hit _isn't_ demeaning? Especially to a police officer?" Judy smirked at me, poking my nose again. This time, I playfully tried to bite her finger, but she wasn't fazed.

"Hmm... you make a good point." I said with a smirk, then examined my claws on my free paw. "Eh, I guess I can work with that, then."

She giggled, then leaned against me again. "Glad to hear it, you dumb fox."

"Dumb bunny," I said back to her, nuzzling her head. I just had to. I felt bad for a second, thinking she wouldn't like it.

But she seemed to. Especially when she leaned up toward me and nuzzled into my chest with her nose. Awwww. This bunny was going to kill me with her cuteness!

"And you're a dumb fox, too." Judy retorted playfully.

We laughed and just continued to snuggle for a while after that. At least until the pizza came, which meant I had to get up for a while. But that was okay, I had my fill for the time being. We sat back, munching on pizza and talking about whatever was on our minds. Since we met, it was the first time we had some time to just be casual together without the Night Howlers case looming over our heads.

I gotta say, it was pretty great. She talked a bit about her family back in Bunnyburrow, I told her about some of the funny encounters I had with some of the people I'd worked with, all that neat stuff. We had a great time, just sitting around her apartment and hanging out like two best friends would do.

After a while, I figured she wanted somet time to herself and was about to let myself out. But when she looked at me, holding up her laptop with Furflix opened up, I quickly changed my mind. We cuddled up again, watching a couple of movies. Comedies, because I wanted to hear her laugh.

Pretty soon, it was late, and she'd fallen asleep against me. Awwww. She was so adorable. I had to be careful and quiet, but I managed to put everything away, clean up, and make sure she was comfortable.

I sighed, looking down at her as I carefully pulled the covers over her small body. She looked so peaceful while sleeping, which relieved me. This entire week had been really tough on her, physically and emotionally. And to think she trusted me enough with something like this. To fall asleep and to know she was safe.

Leaning down a bit, I couldn't resist kissing her on the forehead and whispering, "Goodnight, Carrots."

I watched her for a moment or two, then quietly left her apartment and made sure the door was locked. She'd given me a spare key earlier that day, figuring it'd come in handy.

What a day, huh? And I knew tomorrow was going to be even better.


	2. Part 2

**I cannot believe you people! I go and bring you a debut one-shot in the Zootopia universe... And you beg for more! Unbelievable! I give you something and you demand MORE?! Why would you do this?!**

 **XD Okay, I'm kidding around. If anything, I totally understand that feeling. I think it's the sign of something pretty good when it leaves you wanting more, in a good way. I felt that way with the movie proper! So, I decided to go ahead and give you all a little more to play with.**

 **And to finally put the WildeHopps train into motion! :D**

* * *

To a lot of folks, Judy's speech would've been nice, coming from a good place, if not a bit cheesy. Okay, pretty cheesy. But she's still right. For me though, as cheesy as I found it, I was really moved. It was like her own way of making up for what had happened during that one press conference. Hey, I still don't hold that over her head! I forgave her before I even saw her again after that.

But anyway, there I was, standing among the new recruits of the ZPD during the graduation shindig. Even I had to find it funny that I was this tiny little fox in comparison to the much bigger prey or predator animals! Heh, fun times. I stood there, having my drink (Hey, it's hot!) and wearing my shades.

Which I, of course, lifted up to wink at Judy. She looked amused for a moment, then looked right at me was she was finishing her speech. If I wasn't moved before, I was about ready to melt into a puddle of goo. But you know what? I didn't care. I was too happy and I think my smile was showing it.

On top of that, I was proud of her. There she was, making an inspiring speech, with all of the confidence she could muster. She wasn't just the butt of everyone's jokes for being a tiny bunny. No, she was Officer Judy Hopps, welcoming the graduating recruits to the force. One of them being me.

It was all totally worth it. The past six months at the academy were really tough at first. I was laughed at, made fun of, and didn't exactly have it easy with all the physical elements. I'd be falling over, tripping over my tail, collapsing from exhaustion, and just plain sucking at everything. Whenever we had to race, guess who ended up dead last? Me.

Hey, I may have been in good shape, but I was still not used to what they expected of me! But did I give up? No way! Judy sure didn't and I wasn't about to. Whenever I set myself to a task, I did all I could to make sure I'd get it done.

Besides, I had a lucky charm with me the whole time. Judy gave me her carrot pen as a little token of good luck. That little thing, plus the emails and calls from Judy, were what kept me going. All those nights and mornings that I felt I couldn't do it, for whatever reason, she motivated me to get back up. After that, all I needed to do was picture the disappointed look on her face when I'd tell her that I quit. Let me tell you, it was worse than the time that I figured out that she was afraid of me.

I couldn't do that to her and I couldn't do it to myself.

You'd be surprised about how quickly you can adjust. Did I ever! I took to all the physical training and exercises like a duck to water in no time. And when I wasn't out on the fields, I was reading the textbooks and studying my tail off.

Sometimes while doing push-ups, because that's just plain neat.

But, there was always one thing that was really tough.

You see, I kind of lied to Judy when I once told her that the hardest part about being at the academy was waking up in the morning. Okay, that _was_ hard, but there was a much harder factor. It was the fact that I could barely see her, if at all. Her being busy as a cop and me training at the academy didn't exactly leave us enough quality time. Her phone calls, MuzzleTime sessions and emails were just about all we could squeeze in, save for an occasional meet-up for lunch once every few weeks.

Before my application was approved, I spent just about every waking minute of Judy's free time with her. We'd go out walking, maybe go get a bite, or just do whatever friends do. So you can imagine that it'd be kinda hard to get used to not seeing your best friend around.

Bottom line, it sucked. I missed her like crazy and felt so alone without her there. Hearing her voice or seeing her face on MuzzleTime was a huge relief, yet it reminded me how far we were from each other. But I couldn't let her know that, I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. I'd put on my best smile and told her everything was great. All's I did on occasion was say to her face that I _looked forward_ to seeing her. At least it didn't drip with how much I truly missed her.

"And with that being said..." Judy went on, smiling even more at me. "It is my honour and privilege to invite the very rookie who's graduated top of his class... Nicholas Wilde!"

Everyone started clapping and cheering, which definitely did a lot to stroke my ego. But for once, I didn't bask in it like a smug snake and I didn't swagger onto the stage. No, I had to be professional and take it gracefully. Nobody likes a poor winner, after all! So I just smiled, put my cup down, took off my sungrlasses, and went up there. I stood in front of Judy while she grinned at me, and opened up the little case in her paws.

Right in the case was my badge. It was beyond surreal and mind-blowing to see a police badge proudly bearing my name. But I was too happy to take it. She took it out and carefully placed it onto my uniform to complete the integration. Usually, this would've been the part where I'd say something fun or snarky, but there was no way I could ruin this moment. And for once, I didn't have any qualms about doing so.

Judy then smiled at me, giving me a salute. My heart melted all over again as I smiled more and saluted right back. I could hear my peers cheering from the seats, but I couldn't focus. All I could see was Judy, grinning at me with so much pride and adoration in her eyes. The very bunny who inspired me to become a cop in the first place was proud of me. I couldn't have imagined a better step into my new life.

* * *

Okay, so waking up bright and early was something I had to get used to. But that's what coffee's for, right? It didn't matter, I was excited for my first day on the job and I was going to make a good impression. For sure, Judy would be glad to see me showing up on time.

It still felt surreal to me, but boy was I ready. I walked in through the revolving doors of the station and felt like a new fox all over again. Across the way at the front desk, I spied that cheetah Ben Clawhauser eating some donuts while he was getting some paperwork prepped up. I grinned, remembering him from the morning I came into the station to hand in the application form. Whoever's idea it was for him to be at the front desk was a genius. We got along swimmingly and spent hours talking about the music we were into and other random stuff, that I didn't end up leaving until he had to take care of a dispatching call.

Striding over toward his desk, I raised my paw to wave at him, which he returned. "Hey there, Sprinkles. How's it hanging?"

"Hey, Nick!" Clawhauser greeted with a smile. "I'm doing pretty good for a Monday! Oh! Oh! And guess what? They came in today!" He slid a small envelope across the table to me.

"Awesome." I said, taking the envelope and tucking it away in my pocket. "Thanks for hooking me up with them, Sprinkles. Judy's gonna love it!"

"Anytime, Nick! And thank _you_ for getting me the pass!" Clawhauser eagerly clapped his paws.

I winked at him, putting my shades into my front pocket. "Sure thing, Sprinkles. It definitely pays to have _connections_ around here."

"That's true!" Clawhauser agreed with a nod. He looked over to one side, then waved toward someone walking by. "Oh, there she is!"

"There's who-"

I was cut off as a small blur of gray and black came right at me and before I knew it, Judy was hugging me tightly. I yipped (embarrassingly enough) and nearly fell over, but caught my balance.

At least, until she wrapped her legs around my waist and clung on to me tightly. Oh jeez, now my cheeks were getting hot. Great. My first day on the job and Judy was already sending me through a frenzy. Oh well, at least my tail wasn't-

It was wagging. Traitor.

"Carrots? Uh, what's all this-"

"Welcome to the ZPD, partner!" Judy said happily, grinning at me as she pulled her head back.

I tried to play it cool, I tried to calm down, but this was not helping any. Judy felt too good, too soft, too _amazing_ against me. This was the most intimate hug we'd ever shared and I was about to die of blushing. Yep, this bunny was going to be the death of me.

My body continued to betray me as I hugged her back and lingered. Far too long, I might add. Something about holding her this way felt a mix of innocent and yet _very_ suggestive. I don't know if she knew it or not, though. Either way, I decided to indulge and make it look like I was humouring her.

Wow, her fur was so _soft_!

Finally, I managed to actually regain myself and gently set Judy down. "Thanks, Carrots. So, what was that about?"

"What? I can't give my new partner a hug?" Judy pouted.

"Oh, you can! You just gotta watch out." I grinned, winking at her.

Judy snorted and put her paws on her hips. "Watch out for _what_?"

Lunging at her, I put my paws at her sides and started tickling her. "The tickle monster! Rar!"

"Niiiiick!" Judy squealed, laughing and squirming as she tried to get away from me.

"Carroooooots!" I mimicked her tone, then let her go. Oh, I know I'll regret this later, but I don't care. She's so fun to tease.

After recovering, she playfully punched me on the arm and shook her head, "You big goofball. Come on, we have to get to orientation! It's going to be our first job together, so we better move it! See you later, Ben!"

"Right back at you, Judy!" Clawhauser said with a smile. "By the way, you two are adorable!"

Before I could answer, she took my paw and led me down the nearby corridor. Of course being on time was important to her, no duh. But I could tell by her tone that the fact we were officially working together made her really happy. Hey, it made me happy too! I could hardly wait. My first day on the job alongside my best friend was all kinds of awesome.

I just had to do my best _not_ to blow it.

Wait.

Just what _did_ Clawhauser mean by that, anyway?

* * *

After we caught Flash (and let him off with a warning), we were told to head back to the station to get started on paperwork. Given Judy's reaction, she didn't seem to like this idea very much. Who could blame her? That kind of thing was boring as heck. Even I wasn't looking forward to it.

But hey, it's part of the job. Call me out on my tax evasions all you want, but I can do paperwork like no one can!

Anyway, we were driving back to the station and it was pretty quiet between us again. You'd think we would have more to talk about, but I guess not! It didn't matter, at least we weren't awkward about it.

Still, I wanted to break the silence. Even just a little bit.

"Having fun, Carrots?" I quipped, lowering my shades to look at her.

Judy chuckled, stopping at a red light. "If by fun, you mean spending the next couple of hours until lunchtime sorting, organizing, and filing paperwork... Then yes, I know we'll be having a blast."

"Aw, come on. You know as well as I do that being a cop is nothing like those cop dramas make it out to be!" I told her, snickering a bit. "And this is from the rookie."

"Oh shut up, you." Judy smirked, then continued driving down the street once the light was green. "But seriously, how are you liking your first day so far?"

I smiled, leaning back in my seat, "Not what I expected, but it feels pretty darn good, Carrots."

"And why is that?"

"If I get too much into it, it's gonna be emotional, cheesy, and you'll laugh at me." I said, sticking my tongue out. Nonetheless, I looked at her again as I set my sunglasses on my forehead. "But I'm definitely glad to be a cop and to be your partner, Judy."

She looked at me with a big smile for a moment, then turned her attention back to the road. "I'm glad you are too, Nick. I've been looking forward to this for months and now that it's happening, it feels like a dream."

"It kinda does." I agreed, averting my gaze a bit. "You know what's nice about letting you drive?"

"What's that?" Judy asked.

I smirked at her, trying not to laugh, "I get to look at you."

This made Judy laugh, while also dusting her cheeks bright pink, "Oh, come on! Be serious!"

"Me? Not serious?" I said in mock affrontment, "Shameful, Officer Fluff! Telling lies like that! The nerve!"

"Very funny, Mr. Comedian." Judy rolled her eyes.

What can I say? It's fun to tease her.

Besides, I really was being serious. I never really had much of an attraction to bunnies before I met her, or even really thought much of them beyond the fact that they existed and had their own stereotypes. But boy, Judy was the poster child for how adorable bunnies could be. I'm willing to bet it's my attraction to her, so I'll go with that.

Also, I've been getting a little too flirtatious with her lately. I probably shouldn't be, but I can't help it. Her reactions were adorable and it was fun to just indulge. These days though, it was getting harder to hold back.

Still, maybe there was a safe way to figure out what I _could_ do...

I adjusted my sunglasses before speaking up again, "Hey Carrots, I got a question."

"If your question has anything to do with how awesome you are, I'm going to save you the trouble by saying, yes, you're awesome." Judy said sarcastically, but was grinning.

Snorting, I rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Now who's the comedian? Nah, that's not what I was gonna say. I just wanted to know what you thought of interspecies relationships and stuff like that."

Judy looked at me with mild surprise, then gave a shrug, "Huh. I never really thought about it before! But I guess the best I could say is that I have no issues with it. Sure, it's definitely not what _I'm_ used to seeing, but I doubt we're that backwards as a society. Besides, I think that if two consenting animals are happy together, who the heck am I to judge?"

I smiled and leaned back in my seat, "Pretty astute there, Carrots. But I'll definitely agree with you on that. I'm no expert, but I've seen my share of interspecies couples with some of the folks I've worked with."

"Oh yeah?" She said, sounding curious. "Do tell."

"Well, off the top of my head... I've seen a lion and a tiger..." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "A horse and a giraffe... Oh! I've also seen a rhino and an alligator."

Judy laughed at this, "Wow! I think picturing that last one is pretty funny!"

"It can be," I replied, chuckling. "So it's nothing new for me. But sometimes people can get a bit iffy about a predator and a prey being together."

Cringing, Judy pulled up to the station and proceeded to park the car. "I guess I can see why, but that's not fair."

"Of course it's not fair, Carrots. But that's the world we live in here in Zootopia," I said with a sigh, taking off my sunglasses. "We take tons of steps forward, buuuuut, we also take a step or two back."

"I guess that's true." Judy replied. "So... why do you ask, anyway? What's bringing this on?"

"Just curious." I said with a cool shrug. "Especially since I heard that Buffalo-Butt is married to a hyena and everything!"

This made Judy snort, then she parked the car into the appropriate space. Satisfied with the placement, she shifted into park and killed the ignition. "Yes, yes he is. His wife is Janine and she's a very nice lady. They've been together for about... twelve or thirteen years now."

We jumped out of the car, shut our doors, and headed into the station. I had a good feeling that Judy was at least open-minded, so I didn't have too much to worry about. But I still needed to know _more._ Just to see where her preferences lay.

Luckily, I knew how to get that kind of information without it seeming like I was looking for it in the first place...

I stretched my arms out, following alongside Judy in perfect stride. "Hey, good for him. Love is love, that's what they always say."

"You got it, partner." Judy smiled at me. "Well, what about you? Are you... seeing anyone?"

Huh. That was easy. Jackpot!

"Nope." I smiled, winking at her. "How about you?"

"Please. Ever since I got to Zootopia, I've been working my tail off." Judy snorted, rolling her eyes playfully. "So, you can imagine I haven't had much time for that whole relationship angle."

"Heh, with a bunny as cute as you, I find that hard to believe." I snickered. "As for me, well, let's just say I'm not attached. Haven't been for a long time."

"Oh..." Judy's ears drooped as she looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Carrots. Besides, being a con artist doesn't really spell a promising relationship." I waved it off. "The only time it worked out is if I were with another vixen who was either a criminal or into doing cons herself. Unfortunately, that never ended well. But I'll get into that some other time! Anyway, I've been kinda looking since I got myself on track."

Okay, that was a lie. I wasn't looking for anybody at the moment. My crush on Judy was getting a little _too_ persistent, but I guess that's to be expected. I'll live though, as long as Judy's in my life in some way, that's cool by me. Even if my persistent daydreams of snuggling with her and giving her love didn't help.

"That's nice to hear." Judy said, giving me a smile. "I'm not really looking for anybody at the moment, but then again, life really is full of surprises."

"You can say that again, Carrots." I chuckled, giving her a sidelong glance. "But going back to interspecies relationships, I can tell you that I'm totally open at the idea."

Judy looked surprised, "Wow, really? I mean, not that I thought otherwise! No, I just mean, well, it's... well..."

"Not what you expected," I finished for her, snickering. "Well, what can I say, I don't think I should limit myself to just one species."

"I... can see what you mean," Judy nodding, wringing her paws together as we walked. "Well, going back to what I said earlier, I never thought about it. I guess I wouldn't actively try, but I wouldn't stop it from happening, either!"

Awesome! So there is a little chance. I almost wanted to jump in joy, but I held it back. "Fair enough. I guess some things do have to measure up to you bunnies, anyway!"

"Oh shut up, you!"

"Make me."

Judy poked my nose and giggled, "Oh, I _will._ But for now, let's just get the paperwork done, shall we?"

"You're the boss." I smirked.

* * *

Yep, paperwork was pretty darn boring. But it's nothing I can't handle, so I didn't really have many complaints. Poor Judy though, she was getting restless, since she was thumping her foot a lot of the time. D'aww, it's always adorable when she does that.

In fact, it gave me a perfect idea.

While I was casually looking over some papers and then grouping them, I turned over to Judy with a grin. "Hey Carrots, would you get me the stapler over there?"

In response, Judy nodded and smiled back. "Sure thing!" She set some papers down and went over across the room to the desk.

Perfect. While her back was turned, I quickly took the tickets out of my pocket and placed them on top of the pile. Right in plain sight by the time she'd come back. I was originally just going to give them to her at lunch time, but surprising her was a much better idea. The smile on her face was gonna be worth it.

Okay, now I had to act casual. Like they were there all along. Good thing I was good at that sort of thing!

"Here you go!" Judy said as she came back over, holding the stapler out to me.

"Thanks, Carrots." I winked, taking the stapler.

"You're welcome Ni-oh my gosh!" Judy jumped back a foot or two, her eyes trained on the tickets on top of the paperwork pile. She blinked a few times, then inspected them closer, before reaching out and taking them into her paws. Not a word came from her for a few moments as she stared at them, as if they were pieces of long-lost treasure rediscovered. It was so adorable, but hard not to laugh at. Finally, she looked at me, her paws tightly clutching the tickets. "...Nick? Did you...?"

"Surprise, Carrots!" I said with a grin, stapling the papers and putting them aside. "I know you love Gazelle's music, so I figured you'd want to go to her concert this weekend."

"Nick...! You... You...! Oh, wow! This is amazing!" Judy squealed, bouncing excitedly as a grin spread across her face. "My gosh, I can't believe it! I can finally see Gazelle in concert! Wow! You... Oh, Nick! Thank you so much! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! You're the best!"

I was laughing by now, but then I could see that she was getting a little closer to me. Then again, I had a feeling about what she wanted to do. Her sublty-moving arms were all the indication I needed.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I turned around to face her and opened my arms up, "Okay, get in here."

Judy smiled all the more and then wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. She even leaned her head into my chest, a lot like the first time we hugged. I hugged her back and patted her head, chuckling.

"Thank you so much, Nick... I appreciate it, I really do." Judy murmured into my uniform, her paws clutching me tightly.

"Don't mention it, Carrots." I said, patting her ears and smiling more. "I just wanted to give you something, that's all."

"I know, and I'm so happy!" Judy looked up at me, her eyes hopeful. "You're... coming with me, right?"

It seemed like the obvious answer, but I had still wanted to at least give her the option to go with anybody else. "Really?" I said, blinking. "You want me to go with you?"

"Of course I do!" Judy replied, grinning more. "Nick, it'd be great if we could do something like that together. You're... You're my best friend, and I can't think of anyone I would share this with than you."

Not gonna lie, that did touch me a lot. Sure, Gazelle wasn't exactly my top favourite artist, but I liked her music okay. So it wouldn't be a bad time, but that wasn't what I was thinking. The fact that Judy wanted me there with her filled my entire being with a warm fuzzy. No wonder, I felt the exact same way about sharing things with her too.

Chuckling, I smiled and stroked one of her ears, "Sure, I'll go with you, Carrots. I don't have any plans, anyway."

"Yay!" Judy giggled with glee. Her cheeks turned pink before she averted her gaze. Gee, when did she get to be so blushy? Not that I'm complaining, it's freaking adorable.

"Heh, blushy." I teased, poking her nose.

"I am not! I'm just warm, that's all!" Judy puffed her cheeks in half-hearted annoyance. Reminds me of a chipmunk when she does that, so it's both funny and adorable.

I laughed and released her so that we could get back to work. It was comfortably quiet while we did, although she did hip-bump me playfully every now and again. Not that I minded, it was fun, especially since I did it right back. Even my tail got in on the action by flicking her on the back of the legs. After a while, she was humming to herself, usually tunes I didn't quite recognize.

Doing paperwork was tedious, but we were making great progress. At least doing it with someone else made it all the more easier to bear.

"Hey..." Judy spoke up then, not quite looking at me, "I was curious about something."

"What's that?" I asked, glancing at her.

"Well, going back to our previous conversation about relationships, I was wondering if maybe, well, you know..." Judy chuckled nervously. "Were you ever in love?"

I blinked with surprise, wondering what brought on such a question. Not that I had anything to hide, let alone share, it was just interesting. "Huh, no one's ever asked me that before." I admitted, then smiled. "Nah, I never felt that strongly toward anyone. Sure, I had crushes, and my share of, well, certain escapades I shouldn't get into graphic detail about!"

"Yeah..." Judy blushed, looking away from me.

Snickering, I piled up some more papers and put them into the filing cabinet near the desk. "Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Oh, you know! I mean, you're... what, thirty-three?" Judy looked at me expectantly.

"Thirty-two." I corrected with a grin.

Snapping her fingers, Judy smiled again. "Right! I was one number off based on your information. Yeah, so, you've been around the block enough times, I was just wondering." Judy kicked her foot against the floor, bringing her hands behind her back.

As adorable as it was seeing her take a demure pose, it did still leave me wondering what she was thinking about. Something about the entire basis of relationships, it seemed. Was she looking for someone? As hopeful as I felt, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to assume. Not yet, anyway.

"You're cute when you're trying to be subtle." I teased, winking at her as I closed the filing cabinet.

"Stop calling me cute!" Judy pouted.

"Stop being cute and I will." I leaned against the filing cabinet, smirking at her.

"I hate you." Judy crossed her arms.

Snickering, I winked at her again. "You love me."

"Of course I do, you dumb fox." Judy pouted, looking away as she went back to work.

If only. Not that I doubted it, but of course she meant it platonically. But no reason I couldn't have a little _fun_ with that, right?

I went up behind her, placing my paws on her shoulders and leaning over to one of her ears. "And I love you too, _Judy_." I whispered sultrily.

Judy stiffened and tensed up, her back and her ears going ramrod straight. I held back laugh and let her go, getting back to work as well. Oh yeah, totally worth it. Her reactions were just priceless with or without blushing.

"Blushy!" I pointed out, giving a snicker.

"Shut up!" Judy whined, putting some papers aside all the while pouting. Then she considered for a few moments, before turning to me. "Nick?"

"Yes, Carrots?" I replied with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, since we're going to the concert on Saturday... I was wondering something. Maybe we could go get something to eat afterwards? I imagine we'll be hungry!" Judy laughed a bit nervously.

Some part of me was thinking that this could've been a date. But of course I knew better. It was just something for two friends to do together, which I was perfectly fine with, of course.

"Sounds good to me, Carrots." I nodded in approval. "Where to?"

"Well, um... Hold on." She took out her phone and started to scroll through it a little. After a minute or so, she smiled. "There's a couple of restaurants just down the street from the concert hall! Quackdonald's, Bear King, and Walt Fishney's bar and grille."

My mouth practically watered at the latter of the three, considering it was a place I liked going to from time to time. "Let's go to Walt Fishney's, it's great! Don't worry Carrots, they have prey-friendly food too."

Judy smiled with relief and nodded, putting her phone away. "Great! Then that's what we'll do. A fun concert and a little late dinner at Walt Fishney's! It'll be our first real night out, won't it?"

"You got it." I winked at her, stapling a few papers together and then handing them to her to be filed. "It's about time you got a little taste of the urban nightlife, anyway."

"I guess so," Judy shrugged a little. "I mean, I don't want to be a party animal, but I guess there's no harm in going on outings like this."

Snorting, I shook my head, "Puh-lease, Carrots. That kind of lifestyle only ends badly, anyway."

"So, _you_ weren't a party animal in your hay day?" Judy smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, for one night." I said, turning from the desk to look at her. "When I was old enough to drink, I went straight to one of the clubs near the downtown core. I think it was called Savage Beat, if I'm not mistaken. But anyway, so I go in there, get rip-roaring drunk and just dance around with all kinds of other ladies. The next morning, I woke up in someone's apartment with a nasty headache, no recollection of what happened the night before, and my tail was shaved."

"Oh, cheese and crackers!" Judy raised her paws to her mouth in shock. "That's... That's terrible. I can't imagine what that was like."

I waved it off, trying to hide that I was flattered by her concern. "It's okay, Carrots. It was a long time ago and I've long since got over it. I realized that the wild party lifestyle just wasn't for me. Besides, I had other things to take care of!"

Now Judy smiled, leaning toward me a bit, "Liiiike... your felony tax evasion and con artist schemes?"

All things considered, I laughed and patted her head. That was practically gift-wrapped for her and I can't say I'm not glad she took it. "Heh, you got me there."

"Yes! Score one for me!" Judy cheered, pumping a fist into the air. She calmed down after a few seconds and giggled a bit, "Come on, let's get back to work."

"You're the boss." I said, winking at her.

* * *

At the end of the day, I was feeling pretty exhilarated. Who would've thought after my first day, it would leave me wanting more? I guess that's part of what the academy tries to do, weeding out those who think being a cop is all fun and games, but then go running after the first day. Well, not me! I wasn't going to fall into that trap.

This was something in my life that I never realized I wanted until now. For the first time since I was twelve, I felt accomplished in a way that being a con never brought. I was tired, sure, but a good kind of tired. The tiredness of a job well done and a productive day.

I stretched my arms a bit as I walked over to Clawhauser's desk, seeing that he was also preparing to leave for the day. I went over, giving him a wave and then leaned against the desk.

"Hey Sprinkles, I just punched out." I said, lifting my shades onto my forehead. "Where are you off to?"

"Oh, I think I'm going to do a little shopping before I head home!" Clawhauser smiled, turning to me. "How about you, Nick? How's it feel after your first day?"

I shrugged, keeping myself nonchalant as I examined my claws. "Pretty good, it went better than I thought. Sure, it got a little boring with all that paperwork, but so what. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"Ha! That's a good way of looking at it." Clawhauser chuckled. He scratched at his fur a little bit, "So, how was it being Judy's partner?"

Right then, I couldn't help smiling a bit. Being a cop was great, but being Judy's partner was the absolute best. "I like working with Carrots, she's a real peach. She just gets me, you know?"

"That's awesome, Nick! I just love the way you two interact, it's funny and cute!" Clawhauser chuckled. He brushed some crumbs off his uniform, "I mean, it can be tough working with your girlfriend, but I bet you can do it!"

"You said it, I can-huh?" I just caught on to what he'd said. As much as I wanted it to be true, I knew I had to dial it back. "Whoa, hey! Careful there, Sprinkles. Judy and I aren't dating, we're just friends."

"You're not? Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Clawhauser exclaimed with guilt, recoiling a little bit. "I just thought, well, the way you two act and talk with each other... And the way you two were hugging! It's just-aw, I'm sorry, Nick."

Well, he wasn't too wrong. Anyone could've mistaken our banter for flirting, our physical contact as lovey dovey, and everything in between. I wouldn't be surprised if people did think we were a couple just by looking at us. My crush on her probably wasn't helping any, either.

I shook off the feeling, giving Clawhauser a smile. "Hey, come on! Don't worry about it, Sprinkles. It's not a bad thing to think about, anyway."

Clawhauser looked relieved, then he laughed a little bit. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, I just can't help it, you two are so cute together."

Not gonna lie, that was a nice thought. It made me smile, but I had to play it cool. "What can I say, a cute bunny and a devilishly handsome fox? Whoo, someone turn down the heat!"

This made him laugh more, even slapping the desk with his paw. "You're too much, Nick!"

"Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week." I snickered, giving a playful bow of acceptance.

"There you are!" Judy's voice sounded from nearby, to which I turned and saw her coming toward me. "Are you ready? I can drive you home."

I nearly froze on the spot at her offer. I hadn't expected that, let alone for her to come find me after quitting time. Sure shows what I know! "Uh... you sure about that, Carrots? I'm shooting the breeze with Sprinkles over here, and it could take a while!"

Judy chuckled, waving it off. "Take your time! I can go wait in the car. I'll be out front when you're ready."

Wow. She was going to drive me home and she was willing to wait for me. She was way, way too good to me. Jeez, now my legs were going to give out! No, I had to keep it could keep it all in. I didn't want to look stupid and I sure as heck didn't want to put Judy in a difficult position.

I managed a smile as best I could, leaning against the desk a bit more to keep my balance. "Okay then! So you, you know, go on out there... sit in the car, and I'll be right there! Won't be long!"

"Whatever you say, Nick. See you in a bit!" Judy giggled at me, then waved at Clawhauser. "See you tomorrow, Ben!"

"Bye, Judy! Have a good evening!" Clawhauser waved back at her.

"Right back at you!" Judy grinned, then turned and headed to the revolving doors.

Of course my attention was immediately grabbed by her slightly-swaying hips, her adorable fluffy tail, and the way her ears were perked right up. I felt my face getting hot, so I looked away as quick as I could. When I did, I looked up to see Clawhauser grinning widely at me.

"...What?" I dared ask.

"Oh my gosh, it all makes sense now!" Clawhauser said excitedly, bringing his paws to his cheeks. "You keep acting flustered around her and I see the way you look at her... Wow Nick, you have a crush on her! That's so adorable!"

My entire body went rigid, I felt my fur stand on end and my tail stiffened. It couldn't have been _that_ obvious, could it? Apparently it was if Clawhauser picked up on it. I averted my gaze, feeling my ears flatten and my cheeks grow hotter.

"Was it that obvious?" I asked, feeling there was no point in denying it now.

Clawhauser nodded, "Yeah, especially since you seem to flirt with her all the time! At first I thought you were just teasing her and being you, but I was beginning to think _something_ was up!"

Wow, so it _was_ obvious. I seriously had to dial it back. Still, I couldn't help feeling slightly relieved. Up until now, I hadn't told anyone that I had a crush on her. Who _could_ I tell, anyway? It wasn't exactly something they taught you at the academy, that's for sure.

I took a deep breath, kept my cool, and managed to laugh it off. "Guess my charms were _really_ on their A-game if it made you think that! But okay, I'll admit I've got a thing for her."

"Aww, you two would be adorable together!" Clawhauser giggled, then he looked concerned. "But I guess you're not sure about telling her, are you?"

"You can say that." I said, nodding a little. "But don't worry about it, Sprinkles. It's just a little crush and I bet it'll go away after a while!"

"I don't know Nick, this kind of thing doesn't exactly have an on or off switch." Clawhauser said, biting his lip. "I mean, sometimes it does, but something about you and Judy feels more real, you know?"

He had a point there. Maybe it wouldn't go away so easily. Still, I had to dial it back a little and make sure I didn't scare her off. Ruining our friendship was the last thing I wanted to do.

"And you know, it might help to just tell her." Clawhauser went on, then gave a smile. "I know it sounds crazy, but I guess if there's one thing my mother taught me, it's better to get that kind of thing out. Back when I was in high school, I had the biggest crush on one of my friends. I was freaked out and not sure what to do, so I asked my mom, and she gave me that advice. So... the next day, I told Harley how I felt. Well... she didn't feel the same way."

"Oh." I said, hissing slightly. "I'm sorry, Ben. That really stinks."

"It's okay!" Clawhauser smiled again, chuckling. "It was a long time ago and I'm over it. Besides, she still wanted to be friends and was really glad I was honest with her. If nothing else, I felt a whole lot better now that I knew where we stood, you know?"

Made sense. Getting something off your chest in some way definitely helped. Especially with someone who you trusted, who mattered to you and you to them. Maybe that's what I had to do, find some way to be honest with Judy about how I felt. I just had to find out how, where, and when.

Easier said than done, _of course_.

"Well Sprinkles, you got a point." I said with a smirk, then turned and headed to the door, "I'll work it out from here. Catch you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Nick! Good luck!" Clawhauser called after me.

Oh yeah, I was gonna need it.


	3. Part 3

**Hello, folks! We are now at part three! Oh yeah, I never imagined that it'd get this far. XD Not that I'm complaining, I just found it pretty silly. But still, I have to thank all of you for your feedback, follows and favourites. They really do mean a lot to me! I'm glad you're all having fun with this little story. :D**

 **Also, I made a correction back in part one when Nick is talking to Judy on the tram. I, uh... got some messy audio during that scene, so it was hard to transcribe it. Well, thanks to the Cinestory book I bought recently, I managed to restore the lines! X3 It's not much, but it's what needed to be in there.**

* * *

As luck would have it, if you could call it that, the speeder was a vixen. A vixen with all kinds of accessories and clothes that made her look like a model. Even her sunglasses were practically dripping with vanity. The moment she lowered her car window and looked at me, her entire face lit up.

Hey, as handsome as I was, I knew why. She had to have been thinking that because I'm a fox, I'd let her off easy. Nonetheless, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Long enough to gauge what she would do.

Sure enough, she lowered her sunglasses and looked at me with bright brown eyes. "Well _hello_ , Officer. What seems to be the problem?" Her voice was soft, just barely teetering on the edge of sultry.

Bingo.

"Ma'am, you were going seventy-five in a forty zone back there," I said, keeping my voice cool and calm. "You were just lucky it wasn't a school zone."

"Ooohh... was I? I'm _so_ sorry..." The vixen said, pouting at me in an oh-so pitiful way.

There it was. Playing ignorant and putting on the fake apologies. I may not have been a cop very long, but even I could differentiate a sincere apology and _this_. But I didn't care, I was going to have a lot of fun with this.

"May I see your license and registration, ma'am?" I said, lifting up my sunglasses. Just enough to give her a good look.

She looked me over for a brief second and her smile widened. Clearly, she liked what she saw. Holding her finger up, she turned herself around in her seat and bent over. I knew it had to be on purpose to show me her behind, since her purse was sitting in the passenger's seat. Another classic tactic.

After she retrieved the items, she handed them over to me. I looked them over dutifully, finding that her name was Leona Rey. Given her address, she lived in a swanky part of Zootopia, and it seemed Rey was her _married_ name. Oh, this was going to be too fun.

"Well, Mrs. Rey," I said, handing the cards back to her, "because you were in direct violation of the speed limit, I'm going to have to write you a ticket."

She looked at me with a shocked look, then pouted. Wow, she must have written a book on how to try getting out of a speeding ticket. "Aw, but Officer..." She leaned out a bit to look at my nametag, squinting. " _Wilde_ , I didn't mean to. I'm just in a huge, huge hurry."

"So are a lot of other animals." I said dryly, trying not to grin.

"I know, but I just _have_ to get home. Please, Officer Wilde... can you make an exception? From one fox to another?" Leona made the face of a wounded puppy, something I had to bet she was an expert at.

Now this was where I would play along. Just enough to fool her, but a way's off from making myself look bad. "An exception, huh? Well, Mrs. Rey... what do you have in mind?" I even leaned in toward her window for good measure, putting on a handsome smirk.

She smiled more at me, clearly thinking I was falling into her trap. "Oh... you know. I could maybe... do a _special_ favour for you."

Chuckling, I discreetly motioned for Judy to come closer. She'd been standing outside our squad car the whole time, just out of earshot. It was all part of the plan. Once I saw her slowly making her way toward us, I kept my part of the game going.

"A special favour?" I rose an eyebrow, then looked like I was considering it. "What kind of _special_ favour, Mrs. Rey?"

"Mmm, you can get into my car and I'll _show_ you..." Leona purred, giving me a sultry gaze.

"Really now?" I said coolly, appearing interested. "Well, I'm a curious fox, so I think you'd do well to tell me more."

By now, Judy was low on the ground right next to me, unseen to Leona. She held her trusty carrot pen in her paw, already recording.

Leona giggled girlishly and flipped back some of her elongated fur. "Ohhh, I don't know... Anything you want, handsome. As long as I don't get that speeding ticket, I can do _anything_ you ask."

Perfect. This was practically gift-wrapped.

"How about I... give you my _number_?" I added in, winking at her.

Giggling, Leona nodded. "Oh, yes! Please do!"

I took my ticket book, jotted a few things down, and then ripped it off to hand it to her. She took it from me then looked it over, before her face fell. "W-What? This isn't your number, this is a ticket!"

Chuckling, I looked her dead in the eye and leaned over a bit. "Of course it is. You were speeding, therefore, you get a ticket."

"But you said that you'd make an exception!" Leona protested, looking at me with shock. "Come _on_! This isn't fair!"

"I didn't say I would do anything, Mrs. Rey." I told her gleefully. " _You_ did. In fact, I should also be writing you up for the fact that you were attempting to seduce an officer on duty."

Leona gasped. "You can't do that! You were tricking me!"

"So were you." I pointed out, writing up another ticket, and trying hard not to laugh.

"Well... it's not like you can prove it!" Leona smirked, clearly thinking she'd won. "You may have gotten me for the speeding ticket, but it's not like you can prove what I said. It's my word against yours!"

This was Judy's cue. She stood up in full, coming right up to the window. "Actually, Mrs. Rey, we _can._ " She held up the carrot pen, hit rewind, and then replayed a certain part of Leona's dialogue.

" _As long as I don't get that speeding ticket, I can do_ anything _you ask."_

"So, in other words," Judy stated with a sweet smile, "it's _your_ word against yours."

Now she was looking at us with a dumbfounded, stunned expression. No escape now, she'd been caught. Judy looked especially pleased with herself as she crossed her arms and smirked at our perp.

"You... You..." Leona stammered.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart." I said, giving Judy a knowing look.

Judy then came closer, bringing her arms around my waist. It surprised me, but I kept my cool as best I could. "Also, he's taken. And I seem to recall you are as well, Mrs. Rey. I don't appreciate other women trying to hit on my man."

Did she just...?

I was stunned for a few seconds and could barely move. This wasn't like Judy, but it did make sense once I thought about it. She probably just wanted to rub it in her face a little more, just because. Oh well, it didn't mean I couldn't have a bit of fun with this idea too!"

"That's right," I said, bringing an arm around Judy and then kissing the top of her head.

Now Leona looked as if we'd grown two heads. I wish I'd taken a picture, it was so priceless. She huffed, then grabbed the ticket from my paw, and drove away. We watched her car disappear from sight before we laughed and headed back to our own, nearly doubled over.

"Look at you go there, partner!" Judy laughed, nudging my side playfully. "Did you see the look on her face?!"

"I sure did, it was priceless!" I said, wiping mirthful tears from my eyes. "And you throwing in that last bit, oooh, she's gonna need some ointment for that sick burn!"

"You said it! I know it was kind of a weird thing to put in, but I thought it'd be funny." Judy giggled. "I mean, she's already hitting on a cop while she's married... How about make _you_ taken as well?"

I ruffled her ears playfully, shaking my head in amusement, "Good thinking there, Carrots. Better watch out though, we might get animals talking."

"Oh please, we're cops. We can use certain _tactics_ to get the job done. It's like being undcover." Judy winked at me.

"Whatever you say, Fluff." I said coolly, adjusting my sunglasses.

* * *

When we got back to the station and filled in our report, we ended up with being called to the chief's office. Oh yeah, that wasn't going to be easy. I can remember when Buffalo Butt didn't exactly like me very much. But ever since our first encounter, I bet even he couldn't help respecting the fact that I stood up to him and helped Judy with the case. Heh heh. But maybe that was just my ego, who knew.

Anyway, so Judy and I waited outside his office to be let in, minds abuzz. All the while, we played little games to amuse ourselves. Red Paws, Rock Paper Scissors, whatever we could think of.

"Haha! I win again!" Judy declared, having put out rock to beat my scissors.

"Got me again, Carrots." I chuckled, pulling my paw away.

"You're letting me win, aren't you?" Judy raised an eyebrow, smirking at me.

I snorted, holding my paws up in surrender, "Me? Nah, I'd never do that. I'd give it my all!"

"Then your all must suck!" Judy laughed, shaking her head.

Before I could answer, the door to Bogo's office opened and he peered down at us with a raised eyebrow. Judy and I stood to attention, as if we'd been doing so the entire time.

Okay, maybe not. Even he didn't fall for it.

"Wilde, Hopps. Come on in." He said, going back into his office and motioning for us to follow.

We obliged, closing the door behind us and sitting up on a couple of chairs in front of his desk. Bogo sat down, eyeing the both of us for a moment. It was hard to tell what was going on in his head, since he was so serious all the time. Even Judy wasn't quite sure how to feel, given her minute fidgeting.

"So... what did you want to see us about, Chief?" Judy managed to ask, sitting up as straight as possible.

Bogo cleared his throat before responding, "I don't normally get into the businesses of my officers. Not unless there's a probable cause for concern. This isn't one of those times, however. I only wanted to point out that I won't condemn you for being in a relationship. I don't usually have a problem with inter-office relationships overall, but I do have to tell you to remain professional regardless. Conflicts of interest and acting with lack of proper judgement can be problems that-"

"Chief! Chief, hold on!" Judy cut in, wide-eyed. She took a few breaths and rubbed one of her ears nervously, "I... with all due respect, Nick and I aren't actually dating!"

I tried not to laugh at this entire situation, it was too funny! Especially when Bogo looked genuinely caught off guard and was staring at the two of us back and forth. Judy being all flustered about it was, of course, absolutely adorable. A part of me felt a sting in my gut, considering how our alleged couplehood seemed to somehow fool _Bogo_ of all people.

"You're not?" Bogo finally said, still looking confused. He glanced toward me then, probably expecting me to reply with snark or to even contradict Judy's claim. Again, hard to tell.

A part of me did want to, just to see how hilarious this could get. Especially since I knew it would send Judy into a blushy frenzy. Ten times the adorable! But, I didn't want to make her uncomfortable or to put her on the spot. I still had to try to win her heart for real, so I knew I had to put in a sign of good faith. No worries, I could still have my fun later.

Besides, I was still on probation and it was my first week as a cop. As much as I could have fun playfully poking the Chief's buttons, I _did_ have to get on his good side. As Judy put it, he was a nice guy when you got beneath his tough exterior. But he was still no-nonsense during business hours, which meant I had to play it cool.

So I leaned back in my chair and interjected, "What Officer Hopps meant to say, Chief, is that we are in fact not dating. We're sorry to have given that impression, but that's the truth. If we _were_ , then of course we'd adhere to those guidelines."

Both Judy and Bogo looked at me with surprise, at least for a few seconds. Bogo nodded, his usual hard look returning to his features.

"I see. Then I suppose that would bring me to your _unusual_ way of addressing the speeder today, Wilde." Bogo stated, pointing his hand down at the report we'd written up. "You had attempted to flirt, it seemed."

I gave a grin and leaned back again, "Actually Chief, it wasn't what you thought. The whole flirting thing was a cover-up to get her to talk. I knew her type. She flirts with the cops to get out of tickets. And since I'm a fox like her, she thought for sure she'd have an advantage. So the idea was to get her to _think_ she did, so she'd be more comfortable revealing her true intentions. Trust me, Chief, nothing gets someone like her talking than a sense of security."

"And the whole relationship part was my idea." Judy chimed in, looking a bit sheepish. "I know it was probably a bit immature, but I just couldn't help myself. Besides, she herself was married while blatantly propositioning a police officer."

"Think of this way, it was like being undercover, yet we weren't." I said with a snicker.

Bogo looked back and forth between us for a moment, then sighed. "Well, as unorthodox as it may have been, I suppose I can't argue with results. Just watch yourselves in the future. You've been doing remarkably well during your first week, Wilde. Don't make me regret this."

Even though I felt a sting in my gut, I knew I had to keep my brave face. Never let 'em see that they get to you! Plus, I had a feeling the Chief used that sort of tactic just to test how you'd react. Heh, no way was I going to let that falter me. And given what Judy tells me, I know it's just part of his way of saying he's proud.

"You got it, Chief." I said, even giving him a salute. "Thanks a lot."

A bit surprised, Bogo then nodded and waved his hoof dismissively. "All right, then. Unless you two have anything else to share, you can go. I'll give you your next assignment after the break."

I looked at Judy, who shook her head. Nodding in response, we bid Bogo a so long and farewell in song (Judy's idea, not mine!) as we left the office.

"I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne! Yes?" Judy beamed at me like an excited child.

" _No._ " I said in a mock stern tone, snickering.

Judy pouted, "Aw, come on!"

"You're too young to drink, Carrots."

"I'm twenty-four! I'm well past the legal drinking age!" Judy puffed up her cheeks.

"I know you are." I snickered.

Even though we were joking around, I couldn't help feeling slightly surprised. Only twenty-four? I knew she was younger than me, but by that much? A part of me wondered if that was a bad thing, but I pushed it out of my mind. Letting an age gap stop me would've been silly. I've seen men twice my age with women around her age and nobody cares!

It did make me wonder a few things about what could happen between us and how it'd all work. So many questions! Great, now I'm overthinking something just because I know her age. Yep, it's official. Having a crush has now given me brain damage. Next thing I know, I won't be able to talk without stumbling over my words! Then I'm going to trip on my own tail when I try to walk! Oh, then it'll be hard to tell what's fur and what's blush!

No way would Finnick ever let me hear the end of it!

Luckily though, Judy didn't seem to notice my existential crisis. She was already looking at something on her phone while we were walking. I doubt she'd even been looking at me for the past while. Good thing I could hide this sort of feeling!

"If I remember correctly," I went on to say, keeping my cool, "the books were saying that it's not disallowed to be in an inter-office relationship."

"That's true!" Judy said with a nod. She looked up at me for a moment, then back down at her phone, "But it definitely isn't highly recommended, either. Especially if the pairing in question are partners."

"Yeah, especially if they break up." I replied, shuddering slightly. "Then it gets major awkward, I bet."

Judy nodded in agreement, putting her phone away. "No kidding! I guess that's what I would be worried about the most. But I never really thought of the possibility of dating someone at work."

I shrugged a little, but inside, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "I sure haven't! But you know, it does make sense. You're in an environment where you spend a lot of time together, depending, and it can lead to a lot of positive interactions."

"You're right about that. I guess dating another cop would be beneficial." Judy smiled now. She looked at me, tilted her head, then giggled. "You know... I think I've seen Officer Henderson giving you looks lately."

Officer Marina Henderson? Giving me looks? Last I checked, she had a boyfriend who worked in a nearby bakery. Then again, maybe she just has a thing for foxes. If she was giving me looks, I sure as heck didn't notice! Not that she isn't a pretty hippo, mind you. Maybe it was when I wasn't looking?

Still, I was curious about her end game with this, so I played along. "Marina, huh? Yeah, she's a nice gal."

"And why wouldn't she? You _are_ a charmingly handsome fox, after all." Judy smirked, nudging my side a little bit.

"For once, we agree on something." I teased, snickering as my smirk widened.

"Oh, stop it!" Judy laughed, giving my side a little slap. "Come on, Nick. You're in a much more comfortable and stable point in your life. I'm sure you've considered the idea of getting back into the dating scene?"

It was hard to tell if she was just playing around or if she was genuinely concerned about my love life. Or lack thereof, rather. I had to admit, it was adorable. She wasn't one to talk about things like this very often, so having some fun with it sounded good. "Well, I've only been a cop for nearly a week, so I still got a ways to go. But, at least I still got it!" I smirked, taking my aviators and putting them on.

Judy gave me a look, then crossed her arms as she stopped walking. "You've still got it, huh? Well, why don't you show me your moves?"

I had to admit, she caught me off guard with that one. I stopped walking and turned to her, lifting my sunglasses up. "Carrots, did I hear you right?"

"You did, slick. Come on, show me what you can do! I'm a girl, who better to try it on?" Judy leaned against the wall, planting one foot against it.

Yep. Just when I think I know what she's onto, she surprises me again. Whatever her end goal with this was, it had to be interesting. I shrugged, lifting my aviators to my forehead and approaching her. "All right, Carrots... I'll play your game."

"Bring it on, _Romeo_." Judy smirked.

This was going to be interesting, for sure. I just had to play it cool, then find the right level of making it look real and yet like I'm just practicing. Scaring Judy off wasn't an option. Hey, at least it was an excuse to actually flirt with her!

I stepped closer to her, lowering my head to be eye level with her, and shot her a wink. "You know, Carrots... I haven't noticed how _pretty_ your eyes really are."

Judy blinked, looking at me with surprise. "Uh?"

Chuckling, I reached out and gently grasped her chin, angling her head up a bit. "You have a really nice smile, you know. Especially with your bunny buck teeth, they make you look irresistable."

Oh, I had her now. She was looking up at me with shock, her cheeks were bright pink, and her paws were fumbling. D'awwww!

"...Well, uh, great!" Judy squeaked, gently pushing me away. "You did good, very good! Now stop it!"

"Keep going? Okay!" I laughed, flashing my teeth. "Your ears are _so_ amazing! They make you look taller!"

"Nick, come on!" Judy laughed, playfully batting at my arm. "Now you're just being a tease!"

"Me? Why I never!" I said in mock offense, putting on a pout. "How dare you insinuate such a thing!"

Judy snorted and rolled her eyes playfully. "You're hopeless."

"And you're adorable." I smirked.

"Stop calling me cute!"

"Make me."

"Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!"

"Judyyyyyyyyy!"

Yep, we're twelve.

* * *

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, but that didn't stop us. Especially after hours, when I figured to hit the shooting range. Judy, surprisingly having nothing better to do, decided to tag along. Oh, this was going to be good!

You see, Judy's a great shot with an elephant tranquilizer, no doubt about that. But you give her an actual gun and she's a bit out of practice. It's kind of no wonder, since we don't use lethal weapons on the force unless necessary. Using guns, even I learned, is far different than using non-lethals.

Still, not to brag, but I'm awesome with a gun. Okay, I'm totally gonna brag!

So there we were, down in the shooting range, side by side, practicing on the typical paper targets. Every now and again, I side-glanced toward Judy and usually found her trying to aim the muzzle.

Poor kid. I frowned sadly and took off the earpiece, letting it hang around my neck. As I approached Judy, I waited until she was in an idle position and gently touched her shoulder. She glanced at me, looking a little embarrased as she took out her earplugs.

"Don't mind me! I'm just practicing..." She said sheepishly.

"Carrots," I said, shaking my head, "you know it's okay to ask for help. Especially from an awesome gunslinger like me!" I winked at her.

Judy pouted and shook her head, "I don't need help!"

"Oh? Then prove it to me." I smirked, leaning against of the dividers.

"I will!" Judy declared, then stood up on the stool she was using. She aimed, holding the gun in one paw, while using her free paw to gauge where the bullet would go. After a few moments of setting the sight, she fired once. Turning back to me, she looked a mix of excited and cautious. "How was that?"

Raising an eyebrow, I then hit the button so that the paper target would slide over to us. Sure enough, the bullet hole was right next to the head on the paper. Turning back to Judy, I leaned back again and shook my head. "Okay, one, you shoot like a bunny. Two, you're not even standing correctly."

Before she could answer, I went over and stood behind her, gently taking her paws into mine. I set her arms straight out, placed my paws over hers on the gun, and kept her poised just so.

"There we go! Feet apart, both paws on the gun, like that!" I said with a grin.

"Okay... I see now." Judy murmured, shifting slightly.

As much as I wanted to keep holding her, I knew I had to let go. This _was_ for helping her out, after all! It was getting harder to resist, but I didn't want to scare her or creep her out.

"You should help me practice here more often..." Judy said with a light giggle. "I mean, so I'll get the hang of it."

The idea made me smile and chuckle, before nuzzling her lightly and letting her go. "Sounds like a plan to me, Carrots. It'll take you a while to get as good as me!"

"Oh shut up, you!" Judy giggled. She turned her attention back to the target, took a few seconds, and then pulled the trigger. "Okay, I aimed for the head to start! Let's see if it worked!"

Eager, Judy hit the button and the paper target slid toward us rapidly along the conveyor belt. Once it came into a closer view, we spied a nice hole around the top of the target's head, just barely inching over the dark line. Compared to the other shots she'd made earlier, it was definitely her best.

"Yay! I did it!" Judy jumped for joy, laughing. "Not bad for my first headshot, huh?"

I grinned, ruffling her head and nodding, "You said it! Good job, Carrots. See what a difference it makes?"

"Yeah, no kidding! I swear, it's like I keep forgetting I have to do certain things with guns." Judy admitted with a light sigh.

"Carrots, don't even worry about it." I assured her, leaning against the divider again. "You remember at the academy, when we're told that we don't always get a chance to use guns?"

Judy nodded, sitting on the stool now. "Oh yeah, I remember that. Ursula was evening saying that there are some cops who have gone their _entire_ police careers without having picked up a gun once. So I guess I just kind of adopted the mentality of not even trying to bother."

"I guess a lot of us did," I said with agreement. "Well, no reason we can't practice once and a while!"

Smiling, Judy nodded. "You're right, Nick, we should keep practicing!"

"That's the spirit, Carrots." I winked, patting her back. "Now let me show you a few tricks from the master~"

* * *

My apartment was nothing special, but hey, it was home. I lived in different places around Zootopia, but this apartment was so far the longest I'd ever stayed in one place. Four years now, if I remembered correctly. Not huge, but not small. Lived-in, but not a dump in need of repair.

And hey, it was only one bus ride away from the station. Lucky me!

I came inside, tossed my keys into the little bowl, and closed the door behind me. Then I went over to the couch, sat down, and put my feet up on the coffee table. What a day! I felt tired, but you know what? It was definitely a much more satisfying tired than any con scheme I could cook up would bring. Even now, I still couldn't believe that this was all real. But it was, no matter how many times I woke up in the morning, thinking everything had been a dream.

You know what they say, if someone told me about this a year ago, I'd have thought they were crazy.

My phone went off moments later, catching my attention. I picked it up and saw that it was text from Finnick. Surprise! I hadn't seen the little guy in a while, it was always cool to hear from him.

 _ **Guess what, Nick? I followed my dreams! ;)**_

I laughed, then texted him back.

 _ **Oh, so now you're the lead in the Boarway production of Furspray? :P**_

If he were here right now, he'd be giving me a dirty look.

 _ **No, you idiot! I'm training to be a contractor. I can finally be my own boss and build some cool things!**_

It made me laugh, but in a good way. Finnick was just as sly and cunning as I was, if not more so, it was no wonder we were a great team. Now there he was, pursuing his own goals in an honest way. I was pretty happy for him, since I knew it was going to be tough if I ever had to arrest him.

 _ **Good for you there, buddy. I bet it'll be awesome. ;)**_

 _ **Are you kidding? It's going to change Zootopia! I gotta run, got some papers to fill out. Catch you later, Officer Fuzz!**_

I laughed and bid him a goodbye before putting my phone back down. Or, I was about to, when a MuzzleTime request from Judy came on. Not gonna lie, I was grinning my tail off before I made myself comfortable and answered it.

"Hey there, Carrots." I said smoothly as her adorable face filled up my phone's screen. "Miss me already?"

"You wish!" Judy laughed, smiling brightly. "I just wanted to go over our plans for tomorrow."

That was so like Judy. Making sure to plan things ahead of time rather than winging it. I couldn't fault her for it, but that didn't mean I wouldn't tease her!

"Oh, really?" I rose an eyebrow and snickered. "You going to bring an itinerary to it, too?"

Judy rolled her eyes and snorted, "Har har. No, of course I'm not doing that! I was thinking I could come get you in my car at around five, so we can make it there before the lines get crazy at six."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Huh. So you _did_ do your research. Good job there, Carrots."

"Well of course I did! It's my first concert in the city! I wanted to make sure I was prepared for it." Judy said as she moved from where she'd been sitting and then lay down on her bed. Awww, she was so cute getting all curled up! She even put her phone up at an angle so we could still see each other. "So, I knew that since it was a Gazelle concert in Zootopia, it was probably the best idea for us to get there early."

"I sure like the way you think." I said, winking at her. "I'll be waiting outside my place at five sharp. So don't be late! You know I'll be very sad."

"Oh, you!" Judy laughed, wrinkling her nose. "You're the worst."

"And you're adorable." I cooed.

"Shut up!"

"Make me."

Judy giggled, tucking an arm under her head. "We're twelve."

"Yes we are." I chuckled, leaning back again.

"Mm-hmm..." Judy relaxed a little more, smiling. "So, Nick... how did you find your first week as a cop?"

I would've responded with my usual joke and snark, but I pushed that aside for now. So I shrugged and smiled then, keeping my phone steady. "Not what I thought it'd be, that's for sure. But way better than I expected."

"That's great." Judy smiled even more, giggling. "I'm so happy you're enjoying it, Nick. It means so much to me."

"I know." I said softly, chuckling a little. "Best job I ever had, Carrots. If you hadn't decided to make me your partner, I have no idea what I'd be doing right now."

She smiled more and giggled, inching closer to the phone. "Well... can I be honest for a moment?"

"What, you were lying before now?" I teased, laughing.

"Nick! Come on! I'm being serious!" Judy laughed, pouting playfully. "But anyway, up until I met you, I was so sure I wouldn't want a partner."

Admittedly, that was surprising to hear. I always figured that since Judy had been new to the force when we first met, she just simply wasn't assigned a partner yet. The precinct was already full of partnered cops, so obviously she'd have to wait. But this was a whole other story I didn't expect.

"Really?" I said, looking at her with confusion.

"Yeah." Judy nodded, leaning her head onto her paw. "I just kind of saw myself working alone. I wouldn't consult with anybody unless I needed to or if I was calling for backup."

"Let me guess," I interjected once she paused. "You didn't want a partner because you were sure he or she would slow you down."

Judy blinked, then nodded, "Actually, yeah. That's what I was afraid of. I didn't want to be responsible for carrying someone else's weight while I was catching criminals. I guess... I was being a little unfair and presuming they would be lazy and not nearly as dedicated as I was. I figured I would get stuck with someone who was lazy and expecting _me_ to do all the work."

"Please, they wouldn't have even made it past Ursula's orientation if they were going in with _that_ attitude!" I quipped, snickering.

"That's true!" Judy laughed, slapping her side in response. "Well, you completely changed my perception of partners. I knew that I didn't just need a partner on the force. I needed _you_."

I hope she couldn't see my blush. Sure, this was common knowledge between us now, but it still made me bashful when she said things like this. I couldn't help it really, she was too much. "Aw, come on, Carrots. Now you're just being mushy."

"Oh, no! I'm being serious here, fuzzy." Judy giggled, grinning at me. "I knew I made the right choice making you my partner."

"And of course I made the right choice accepting it." I smirked at her, leaning my head against my free paw.

"You sure did!" Judy giggled behind her paw and rolled onto her stomach, taking the phone around to face her. "So... are we still on for a late snack after the concert?"

"You know it." I said, winking.

"Great! Just, you know, making sure." Judy said a bit sheepishly, playing with one of her ears.

Why did she seem so coy about it? Was she worried I'd cancel? As if I'd ever cancel on her without a good reason. Still, it was kind of weird to see her act like that over something like this. It was probably nothing, so I brushed it off. "Hey, that's just what you do. Sooo, I take it you're excited?"

"Of course I am!" Judy giggled girlishly. "I still can't believe it's happening! Don't you just... love that feeling where something you want isn't just talk anymore?"

I smiled knowingly and nodded. "Oh yeah, I know what you mean."

Judy hummed in response, angling her phone a little bit more. The light was hitting her fur a bit more as she did this, which I couldn't help admiring. She looked so soft and cute in this lighting, especially with her eyes shining brightly.

And there I go again, spending too much time staring at her. Could someone examine my head? I think I'm going crazy.

"I have to say, this has been my best week ever, too." Judy murmured, leaning her cheek against her paw. "Because I had you there as my partner."

I blushed again, but laughed it off so she wouldn't notice. "What can I say? I'm so awesome, I'll make anything better."

"Very funny." Judy giggled. "I'm serious, though. I'm really looking forward to all the great things we'll be doing together now. Who knows, we might even make private detectives someday!"

That was a neat thought for sure. I could picture us wearing trilbies and dotting trenchoats while we walked around the city, looking sleuth and cool as ever.

"If that happens, I just hope we won't start speaking in old film noir narration style." I snickered.

"If I start doing that, please stop me." Judy grinned.

Playfully rolling my eyes, I nodded, "As if I'd pass up the chance to do that, Carrots."

She laughed and stuck her tongue out at me. That adorable tiny tongue, it was too much! It was cute right along with her nose and buck teeth, like a perfect package of cuteness. "You know, if that vixen we saw today is at the concert, we'll probably have to keep up _appearances_."

As much as that caught me off guard, I didn't miss a beat. "You're right about that, so we'll have to stick really close to each other."

"That'll be easy, since we're so close and all!" Judy giggled, winking at me. "Then that'll make our outing a little _date_!"

"A date? Why Carrots, did you truly think otherwise?" I laughed, shaking my head.

"Nope!" Judy shook her head and sat up, leaning against the wall. "You'll have to put your arm around me, especially if we're going to beat off any potential sniffers!"

I laughed heartily, unable to help picturing being that protective boyfriend type. Heck, if that were the case, of course I'd fend off anyone trying to hit on Judy. "Don't you worry, my dear. I'll keep those naughty boys away from you if it's the last thing I do!"

"You silly!" Judy laughed, holding her stomach with one paw. "Ooh ooh! And we'll have to hold hands! That's the surefire way to keep it up!"

"Think of the headlines! Fox and bunny, together in harmony!" I said dramatically, waving my paw for emphasis.

"We'll be all over the National Henquirer for that!" Judy snickered, stiffling her giggles with her paw. "You know... this might be something we could do whenever we go out on the town. I mean, I'm just a young, pretty, naïve bunny in the big city... It might help if I have my big, strong fox boyfriend protecting me~"

Wait, what? Of course it was a big joke between us, but something about this seemed a bit off. I didn't expect Judy to bring up our silly stint from earlier, let alone like this. Besides, I knew Judy could take care of herself and tell other guys to back off if they hit on her. She didn't need me protecting her. Nice thought, but I wouldn't do that unless she truly needed it.

Still, the idea was way too tempting to pass up. Maybe I could see what she was up to if I played along...

"You don't say?" I replied, smirking at her. "Well, then even a fox like me has to make sure his adorable bunny girlfriend is safe and sound! What kind of man would I be if I let my girl in harm's way?"

"What kind, indeed!" Judy grinned, shaking her head. "So, you'll hold doors open for me?"

"I'd do that regardless of our relationship, Carrots." I winked at her.

"Of course you would." Judy rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, then I'll have to explain to my parents about my fox not-boyfriend. Crazy!"

As funny as it was, it did leave a slight sting in my gut. Her parents were the ones who had given her the fox repellant. That stupid bottle... I could distinctly recall seeing that in her belt the first time we met. Oh well, Judy did assure me that she threw it away shortly after I left that day.

Of course I believed her. She showed me all the secret places in her apartment, no sign of anything to ward off foxes. Not that she had to do that, but hey, it was a nice gesture.

Still, I kept my cool and continued going along with it. "Don't worry, I'll charm the overalls off them in no time! And don't forget my mom, she's going to be beside herself when I tell her that I'm fake-dating a bunny!"

"Aww, I'd love to meet your mother!" Judy smiled more.

"Really?" I asked, breaking character.

"Mm-hmm! I think it'd be great. She sounds like such a nice lady, from what you've told me. And hey, she did raise you, after all!" She said, bouncing a little. "I mean, if you'd be okay with that..."

It made me smile. Of course I wanted Judy to meet my mother. I just wasn't sure how to go about it, especially since I hadn't formally asked either of them about the idea. But hey, this saved me the trouble! "Then I'll give her a call tomorrow and let her know, Carrots. I think she'll be glad to meet you."

"Terrific!" Judy smiled more. She looked off to one side, then sighed. "Ugh, I better get to bed soon. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing." I said, smiling brightly. "Get a good night's sleep, Carrots. You'll need it."

Rolling her eyes, Judy stuck out her tongue. "Har har. You get some sleep too, slick. Nighty night, _boyfriend._ "

"Likewise, _girlfriend_." I grinned, then made a smooching noise at her. She giggled in response.

"Looooove you~" Judy cooed, batting her eyelashes.

Too cute. I smirked and winked at her, playing it cool. "I love you, too."

Call me crazy, but I think I did.


	4. Part 4

Over the years, the only other good relationship I had aside from Finnick was with my mother. Even when I was doing all those cons since I was twelve, she still loved me. Don't know how she put up with it, though!

Still, I tried to see her whenever I could, even if it wasn't always easy. She lived further east in a quieter part of Zootopia, farther from the downtown core, where I liked to hang around. It just took longer to get out there since I had to take the subway for several stops. Whatever, it was always worth it in the end.

With a few hours left to go until the concert, I knew it was as good a time as any to call her. The last time I'd spoken to her was before I left for the academy, which I knew sent her to the moon with excitement. Now that I was an actual cop, I had a feeling that she was going to bounce off the walls. Again!

Still, I dialed her number and waited for an answer, tapping my claws against the arm of the couch.

She answered on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Hey Mom," I greeted with a light chuckle, "it's me."

"Nicholas! Oh, I'm so glad to finally hear from you!" Mom said happily, laughing a bit. "Well, don't keep me in the dark! How did it all turn out? Tell me everything! Was the academy hard?"

I laughed, leaning back against the couch. "One thing at a time, Mom! But yeah, you bet I did. It was tough, but let's just say that I didn't let that stop me."

"Aww, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you, Nicholas. I knew you could do it!" Mom gushed. "So, am I right in saying that you've become a police officer? I'm so sorry I missed your graduation, honey..."

It was true, Mom ended up having to take over an emergency shift at the hospital she worked at. Of course I understood, she wasn't one to just bail on me for no reason. Besides, I knew there'd be plenty of time to catch up afterward.

"It's okay, Ma. Like I said, no worries! Anyway, I graduated top of my class and I just had my first week." I said proudly, glancing toward where my uniform was hung up.

Mom laughed with glee, which made me smile. It was always great to know she was proud of me. "Well, I'll be! My little Nicholas, an officer of Zootopia! That's amazing, sweetheart! Oh, you'll have to tell me all about it the next time we get together!"

"Can do, Ma." I said playfully, snickering. "Actually, speaking of, would you mind if I brought a guest?"

"Not at all, dear! Who are you planning on bringing?"

"Just my good ol' partner, Judy."

"Judy?! Oh, that cute little rabbit you talk about all the time? Aw, sweetie, I would love to meet her!" Mom gushed excitedly. "That would be wonderful!"

I grinned widely, knowing that my Mom would like Judy even before meeting her. It was definitely going to be a lot nicer than all the times I brought home one of my old girlfriends. No awkwardness, no attempts to impress, and no embarrassing questions. It was just going to be me introducing my mother to my best friend, the other woman in my life.

"Awesome, she's looking forward to meeting you too!" I said with a grin, even though she couldn't see it. "Well, we got the concert going on tonight, but maybe tomorrow?"

Mom paused for a few moments, then responded. "Tomorrow would be great! You two can come over for dinner at around six and we'll catch up!"

Making a mental note to myself to mention this to Judy, I nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Mom. I'll call you first thing tomorrow when we're on our way!"

"All right, sweetheart. I have to get going, we're setting up to play cards!" Mom said, then blew kisses over the phone. "Take care, honey! I love you!"

"Love you too, Mom. Take care." I chuckled, then hung up.

Although I knew it would go well, I couldn't help feeling giddy about Mom being so excited to meet Judy. Strange, it almost felt like I was bringing home a new girlfriend. Is that what she was expecting? I couldn't really tell, but whatever. It dind't matter, I just wanted them to finally meet.

"Now to let Carrots know..." I mumbled to myself as I sent Judy a quick text about it. She got back to me a few moments later with a smiley face followed by how eager she was for this. D'awww!

Not gonna lie, I was feeling nervous about going to the concert with her. Not because I was sure she'd have a bad time, no way. I guess I just hoped I'd handle it well. I didn't want to come off too strongly, but I also couldn't hold back too much, right? I had to try to win her, but finding that balance was going to be tough.

Speaking of, I was beginning to suspect that my little crush on her was being a bit too persistent. Whatever it was, I couldn't tell, but boy it was getting to me. Every waking moment I wasn't with her or occupied with something else, I'd think about her. This was getting insane. But I couldn't ignore these thoughts, no matter how unsure I was about what to do.

But hey, I was determined to still show her a good time and that's what I was going to do. No amount of butterflies in my stomach was going to hold me back from that.

I leaned back, exhaling a little bit and casually flipped through photos on my phone. Quite a few of them were of Judy, either solo or when we'd take selfies together. A set of them were one of my favourites, definitely. There I was, trying to take a selfie, but Judy kept trying to get into the shot somehow, no matter how many times I pushed her off. Her attempts were hilarious and adorable. After all, it led to my favourite one.

There it was, just the two of us, cheek to cheek, giving smiles to the camera. If there was one photo I wanted to print out and frame, it was this one. I looked charming and handsome, as always. But Judy was just so precious. Her smile, her eyes bright with joy, and just how content she seemed to be.

"Hmm..." I said to myself, and grinned. With a few adjustments, I made it my phone's background.

* * *

When five o'clock rolled around, I waited outside my apartment building, leaning against the wall. I hadn't been out very long, but I knew Judy wouldn't be late. It wasn't like her. She was the same bunny who got up before sunrise just to make it to work on time!

Sure enough, her car pulled up just minutes after I'd come outside. I grinned, going up and getting into the passenger seat. Judy grinned at me as she pulled back out onto the street, greeting me with a fist bump.

"It feels like forever since I saw you wearing that!" She said, pointing at my usual shirt and tie.

No kidding, I hadn't worn what was once my usual set of clothes in a long time. I could help laughing as I buckled up, grinning back at her. "Why, you got a problem with it, Carrots?"

"If I did, we wouldn't be friends." Judy giggled.

I took a moment to look her over, seeing that she was wearing a simple t-shirt and leggings. Yep, just as I thought. Completely adorable in anything she wears.

"Anyway," Judy went on, glancing at me at the corner of her eye, "you ready for this epic night out?"

"Me? I'm always ready. It's you I'm worried about." I said with a smirk.

Judy snorted and shook her head, "Oh yeah, because I'm just a poor little dumb bunny who needs her fake fox boyfriend to protect her, aren't I?"

This again? I couldn't help wondering just what she was trying to do with that. She cracked her own jokes from time to time, but there was usually some kind of goal behind them. Besides, we were alone with nobody we had to fool, so what was up? Was it going to be some private joke between us? If that was the case, I'm not sure why she wouldn't say something.

Still, despite my confusion, I didn't let it get to me. Oh no, I'll play along with this silly game of hers as much as I can! "Well, of course. If I'm going to be a good fake fox boyfriend, I need to make sure my fake bunny girlfriend is in good paws!"

"Aw, aren't you a gentleman." Judy teased, snickering as she turned on the radio. "What next? Flowers and chocolates?"

"That depends." I said coolly, leaning back in the seat and putting my paws behind my head.

Judy laughed a little, turning her eyes back to the road. "On what? You wouldn't get me some 'just because'?"

"And what if I did?" I smirked, giving her a sidelong glance.

"Oh, I don't know. I might thank you, put the flowers in water, and then devour all the chocolates." Judy giggled.

I laughed at this, grinning. "What, you're not even going to share?"

"Get your own chocolates!"

"Forget that, I'll give you the flowers and keep the chocolates!"

"Oh no you don't! They're mine!"

"Nope, they're mine! I bought them, so therefore, they are mine!"

"But you're giving them to me!"

"I could, or I could keep them!"

"Give me the chocolates!" Judy whined, but was grinning widely.

I shook my head and stuck my tongue out at her. "Nope, they're as good as eaten."

Judy laughed a bit, turning a corner as she headed toward the downtown core. "Oh, Nick... what have you done to me? Here I am, making jokes and ridiculous scenarios for no real reason at all."

"What can I say? I must have loosened you up a bit." I chuckled, reaching over to pat her shoulder.

"I am not a stiff! I just happen to take my work seriously." Judy said, placing a paw on her chest.

I rolled my eyes playfully and leaned back again, "Relax, Carrots. Ever since I met you, you've definitely had a way of being professional, but not to the point of being a stick in the mud. You were still easygoing, fun and laid-back. Nowadays, you're letting yourself balance it out more."

As she stopped at a red light, she looked at me with a bit of surprise. Then she smiled tenderly, "You noticed that?"

"Of course I did. I pay attention and I notice things like that." I nodded. "I like to read people, you know?"

Judy nodded, turning her eyes back to the road. "Well, that's definitely a good quality to have. I guess you really sized me up when we first met, didn't you?"

"You better believe it. But I definitely misjudged you." I snickered, shaking my head. "I mean, I thought for sure you were just some gullible dumb bunny."

"Because I fell for your hustle?" Judy raised an eyebrow.

"You did, hook line and sinker!" I laughed, slapping my knee.

Judy laughed, then smirked at me. "Maybe I did, buuuut... I hustled you back. Flawlessly, I might add."

"So you did." I said with a playful pout, but then something occurred to me. "You know, I meant to ask you. How _did_ you figure out to ask me about Mr. Otterton, anyway? I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you that I know everybody until after you found me again."

"Well, that's the funny part!" Judy smiled. "You see, when I was given the case file for Mr. Otterton, it was pathetic. There were no leads or anything about where he could have gone. All I had to go one was a photo of his last known sighting. I had to use Clawhauser's soda bottle as a sort of magnifying glass, too! I saw that he was eating a pawpsicle, which I had to bet YOU sold him. Sure enough, I found you in the photo too, walking away from the scene."

Impressive, I definitely had to give her that. Not to mention, if that didn't happen, I might have never seen her again. Or if I did, the circumstances would've been a whole lot different. To think it took a little ingenuity on her part and a coincidence on the part of fate. If not for that, who knows where we'd be.

"At first," Judy continued, sounding a little wistful, "I was dreading the fact I had to talk to you. I felt like the universe was conspiring against me to fail."

"But you didn't." I said, patting her shoulder.

"Nope, I didn't." Judy giggled, nodding in agreement. "But, I knew I had to be prepared. And... you know the rest."

I smirked at her, poking her arm gently. "You blackmailed me with felony tax evasion, therefore coercing me into helping you with the case."

"And you tried every opportunity to take my carrot pen. 'Oooh, since you're sans warrant, gimme the pen, fluff! Hey, I said gimme the pen 'cause I'm a sly fox and gotta keep my hustling going!'" She said in an incredibly lame excuse for an impression of me.

Nonetheless, it made me laugh. There she goes, being too cute again. "I do not sound like that, Carrots."

"Sure you do, you just won't admit it." Judy smirked. She looked out to the road again, grinning as the concert hall came into view. "Ooh, there it is! We're almost there!"

"Awesome," I said, sitting up straight. "Boy, it's gonna be tough to find a parking spot."

"I know." Judy lamented with a sigh, shaking her head. "Well, we can probably get away with parking a block away. Should I go onto Herron, or maybe Canter?"

I looked out to the upcoming street signs, thinking it over for a second. "Actually, maybe you should go onto Herron, but go further down toward Levin. It's a less congested area."

Judy nodded, turning right and heading a block away from the building. It took a little searching and manoevering, but we managed to find a decent parking spot. It was a little further down the block from the concert hall, but at least it wasn't packed. She killed the engine, then we got out and made sure it was locked. Then we walked down the block together, already seeing a crowd of other animals further down as they headed into the large, lit building.

"You know, thanks again for getting the tickets, Nick. I really appreciate it." Judy smiled brightly at me. "But not just that, I... I'm really happy you're going with me."

"Means that much to you, huh?" I teased, chuckling.

Judy giggled and nodded. "Of course it does."

This seemed like a perfect time to spring my other surprise on her. I stopped her from walking, then reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple of cards. "Before we go in there, I got something else you might need."

Her eyes went wide the moment she saw what I was holding. "O-Oh my god! Backstage passes?! Are-Are you serious?! You got us backstage passes?!"

I grinned, laughing a bit. "You bet! I know everybody, and as such, I had some connections to hook us up with free backstage passes. I figured, well, going to see Gazelle in concert would be a dream come true for you. Buuuut, why not make it even better by giving you a chance to meet her in person?"

"Oh, _Nick!_ Thank you! Thank you so much!" Judy squealed, leaping at me and throwing her arms around my neck. Her legs wrapped around my torso and she held on tight, nuzzling into my fur.

Needless to say, my body shut down and I could feel my fur rising up on end. Okay, I just had to play it cool. She was excited, really happy, and I knew for a fact that she loved hugs. I had to let her have this, get it out of her system, and then we'd be able to keep going.

Still, I wanted to indulge. I hugged her back and nuzzled her head, just soaking in the moment. I didn't even care that we were on a sidewalk in the middle of everything, where someone could easily walk by and see us. Nothing else mattered right now. We could just lose ourselves in-

My tail was wagging. Again.

Traitor.

Judy lingered for a while, just clinging onto me tightly. She pulled her head back and then kissed me on the cheek, grinning widely. "You're the best, Nick! Thanks so much! Oh, I'll have to find some way to pay you back!"

This caught me off guard, enough to get my mind back into place. For the most part, anyway. "What? Come on, Carrots, you don't have to do that!"

"I know, but I want to! I'm not sure how or even when, but I'll figure something out!" Judy squeezed me again, then let herself back down onto the ground. "And don't you dare argue with me! I'm doing it!"

Of course she was, Judy was a lot like me that way. Once she had a plan in mind, she stuck to it no matter what. So I patted her on the head and kept walking, "Okay, Carrots. Whatever you say~"

"Darn straight, dumb fox." Judy smirked, walking alongside me.

Truth be told, it was pretty flattering that she was so willing to do something in return. I never wanted to make her feel like she had to, so I couldn't help appreciating the gesture. Hey, I'd do the same for her!

* * *

I'd been to a number of concerts in my lifetime, whether as part of a cover or if Finnick wanted to go see one of his favourite French rap artists. But I never imagined I'd be in a situation like this one. Here I was, at a big concert thrown by one of Zootopia's biggest pop sensations, after my life changed dramatically. Alongside my best friend, that I had a crush on, and also a bunny.

It was yet another one of those "If you told me this beforehand, I would have thought you were crazy" moments.

As Gazelle was singing her new hit single _Try Everything_ (as Judy liked to remind me), putting on her moves on the stage, what was neat to me were her backup dancers. They were all tigers, dancing in a very alluring manner, and looking every bit as graceful as her. It was no wonder she was such an advocate for predator-prey equality in Zootopia. The whole mess with the Night Howlers was downright personal for her. Even from here, I could see how grateful they were to her, and how much she appreciated them. They were quite a team, which was pretty great to see.

Judy was, of course, dancing and jumping like crazy right next to me. She was so into the music and it was absolutely adorable. Nothing beat seeing her so ecstatic and having the time of her life. Made me wish I was recording it! But it didn't matter. I was just thrilled to see her this happy. Like the best gift you could ever give, you know?

Then she hip-bumped me, clearly expecting me to join in.

I'll admit, I wasn't much of a dancer. I could waltz if I wanted to, but anything after that had me dancing like a drunk flamingo. Still, I wanted to humour her and make her happy. There I went, doing a silly little dance of my own to keep up with her as much as I could. I think she knew I sucked at dancing, but she wasn't saying anything.

For now, anyway.

* * *

After the show was over, it came the time for the backstage passers to get in line to meet Gazelle. Although I had one too, I planned to be right there alongside Judy for moral support in the lineup, then I'd let her go inside on her own. She didn't need me right there next to her favourite singer, right?

Judy stood against me, trembling with excitement and nervousness. "Oh, Nick... I'm so nervous! I've never actually met a celebrity in person before! How am I going to do this?"

"Carrots, relax." I assured her, giving a smug but playful smile. "Celebrity meeting tip 101. When you meet the celeb, just say hi and introduce yourself. Look happy to be there, but not creepily excited. Give them a nice compliment, maybe about their clothes or an accessory their wearing, that'll break the ice!"

"Right... Happy to be there, not too excited, give a nice compliment, and be polite." Judy repeated, taking a few breaths. "Okay... What do I say to certain things if she asks me anything?"

"Be yourself, but be as straight-forward as possible. Get personal, but not too personal, so you can build a connection." I advised, patting her on the back. "If she has a similar interest to you, build on that conversation. Otherwise, just be nice and talk to her like she's an old friend but don't get too comfortable-yet. And for goodness sake, if she tells you to call her Gazelle or even Muffin Queen, you take her up on it."

"Got it..." Judy giggled a little, holding on to my shirt a bit. "Is there anything in my teeth?"

"Nope." I chuckled.

Sighing with relief, Judy nodded and leaned against my chest a bit. She was silent for a few moments before speaking up again, "You're coming in with me, right?"

My eyes went a bit wide. "What?"

"Well, you have a pass too, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I just didn't want you to wait in line all by yourself."

Judy looked at me, then snorted and shook her head. "That's sweet of you, but there's no way I'm letting you miss out!"

"Miss out? Carrots, I think Gazelle is cool, but I'm not going to lose sleep over not meeting her." I assured her with a chuckle. "Don't worry about me. This is all for you."

"Yes, but I want you in there with me." Judy insisted, taking my paw. "Please?"

I made a show of rolling my eyes, sighing heavily, and looking as if I were bored out of my skull. "Well, I suppose I can do that. Not like I have anything else to do, anyway."

Now Judy smiled brightly, looking satisfied, "Great! So, I do look okay, right? Do I have something in my teeth? Anything on my face? Should I maybe-"

"Carrots. Settle down!" I said, taking both her paws in my own and winking at her. "You look great and yes, you have a piece of spinach in your teeth."

All at once, her paws went to her mouth as she tried to fish out the alleged spinach. She even took out her phone and checked through its camera as a mirror. I couldn't take it anymore and ended up laughing, shaking my head in amusement. That silly bunny!

"Made you look!" I said, smirking at her.

"Har har, Mr. Comedian," Judy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

Too easy. No wonder I love teasing her, she has the silliest and most adorable reactions.

We were waiting in line for what seemed like several hours, but I guess it's understandable. From what Judy was telling me, Gazelle was the kind of performer who loved to take some time to connect with her fans and make them feel like old friends. I had to admit, that was sweet of her. I just couldn't help pointing out that it _could_ get her into trouble if she wasn't careful.

But then again, who would mess with a lady who had tigers for backup dancers? Exactly.

Finally, it was our turn. I followed behind Judy as we were led into the green room, and could see she was very nervous. Even to the point that her ears had drooped. I took her paw in mine and squeezed to reassure her. She looked at me with an appreciative smile.

When we came into the room, Gazelle was sitting on the large couch and smiling brightly at us, while her backup dancers were all sitting around as well. They were all dressed in comfortable, casual clothes, which I could imagine must've been relief after quite a show. For tigers, they seemed more like small kittens given how relaxed and happy they all seemed to be.

"Oh my goodness! You're Officer Judy Hopps!" Gazelle exclaimed, getting up and going over to give Judy a hug. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you! My goodness, this is an honour!"

I wanted to laugh at how shocked Judy looked, especially at being hugged like that. I could tell she was trying hard to respond and not be rude, but her little bunny brain was fried! Too cute. Still, I sat back and let her come to terms at her own pace, to which she finally hugged Gazelle back.

"I-I'm very happy to meet you too!" Judy managed to say, sounding breathless. "Thank... Thank you!"

"Oh, you are welcome!" Gazelle pulled back and smiled sweetly at her. "I'm sorry to come off so strong, but I just couldn't help it. I've heard so, so much about you and all the things you've done for Zootopia."

Judy blushed heavily and giggled a little, "Oh, gosh, thank you! But it's nothing really, I just... well, I want to make the world a better place! Being a police officer is my biggest dream, has been ever since I was a kid!"

Gazelle giggled and stood up, inviting her to come sit. "That's wonderful, Officer Hopps. I'm so very glad it has worked out for you!" She looked over at me, beckoning me as well. "Hello there! Come sit too, don't be shy!"

"Who, me? Nah, I'm just letting Carrots have her moment in the sun." I chuckled, going over and joining them.

Judy cleared her throat loudly now. "Um, so! Uh, this is Nick Wilde, he's my partner on the force."

Holding out her hoof, Gazelle smiled brightly. "It's very nice to meet you, Officer Wilde."

"Charmed, I'm sure." I said, taking her hoof and kissing the back of it. What can I say, I'm a gentlefox, after all!

"Oh, thank you!" Gazelle giggled, then gestured to her dancers one at a time. "I would love for both of you to meet my wonderful friends, the Hobson brothers. This is Mark, Harry, James, and of course, my husband Kevin."

The tiger in question was the one sitting closest to her, and he smiled warmly at us. His brothers did as well and even waved animatedly.

"Hi there!" Said Mark, who was known as Dancing Tiger One.

"Great to meet you both." Kevin nodded at us. He was Dancing Tiger Two.

Harry, Dancing Tiger Three, waved at us again. "What these guys said!"

Dancing Tiger Four was James, he saluted us. "It's nice to meet you guys."

Judy smiled even more, giggling a bit. "It's great to meet you guys, too! Oh, and congratulations to the both of you on your wedding! I read about it in Hello Zootopia, it was lovely!"

Gazelle beamed as she and Kevin held paws lovingly. "Thank you, Officer Hopps! It means very much to us."

"Um, please, just call me Judy..." Judy said sheepishly, rubbing her arm. I reached over and rubbed her shoulder to help ease her nervousness. It seemed to work, since she relaxed moments later.

"All right, Judy. I hope you enjoyed the concert, of course," Gazelle said sweetly.

"Oh, yes! I did! It was amazing! You guys all really put on a great show. I especially liked how you performed your first single! I was really surprised, but it was so nice to see it like this, you know? I-oh, sorry! I'm rambling..." Judy giggled a bit, looking away.

Gazelle laughed, but in an amused way. "Don't worry yourself, Judy. I appreciate your enjoyment of my work! I hadn't planned to perform it initially, but I thought it would be nice to look back. I haven't for a long time, so it was a treat for me, as well."

Judy giggled, smiling a little more. "It was also the first song of yours I'd heard, actually."

"Was it?" Gazelle asked, then giggled. "I see. No wonder it felt so special for you!"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I felt so giddy for Judy right now. There she was, talking it up with her idol like they were old friends. The more they talked, the more comfortable Judy was becoming. The tiger brothers chimed in every now and again, especially when Judy graciously took a minute to address them. I mostly sat back and watched, which was fine by me. This was all for Judy and I was proud to see her handling it as well as she could.

After a while, they got to talking about the Night Howler case. I wasn't surprised, since it was something that had affected Gazelle, her husband, and the rest of her dancers. Judy of course apologized profusely for what she'd said, but Gazelle made it clear she didn't blame her. Even with how I felt at the time, I was grateful that Judy didn't receive more reasons to be guilty. I didn't want her to feel that anymore, I knew I had to do something.

So I went over and gently rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "Hey, no need to feel down about it, Carrots. You were still a big hero, after all~"

Judy giggled and placed her paw over mine, "Aw, Nick, come on..."

"Just telling the truth," I said, giving her a nuzzle.

"You're just buttering me up," Judy pouted playfully.

I laughed and played with one of her ears. "Am I? What are you gonna do about it, Fluff?"

Gazelle giggled at his, smiling all over again. "You two are such a sweet couple, if you do not mind my saying."

I felt my face heat up and Judy's body stiffen beneath my paws. Was this going to be a thing, now? Was _everyone_ going to think we were a couple? Not that I minded the idea, it just seemed to keep happening. Besides, I especially didn't want Judy to get uncomfortable.

"Uh, actually... Nick and I... we're just friends!" Judy stammered.

"And police partners," I added, letting go of Judy's shoulders.

Now Gazelle looked surprised and a little confused, her gaze shifting between us a couple times. "Really? You're not? Oh, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I assumed as such."

"No no no no! It's okay, no problem! You're not the first one to make that assumption!" Judy laughed, sounding slightly nervous. "Although to be fair, we pretended to be a couple one time just for fun, but that was it!"

"Too bad though, we'd make the best couple in Zootopia!" I joked, to which Judy nudged me playfully.

"Nick!" Judy protested, but was grinning. "Stop it!"

"Never!" I laughed, ruffling her ears.

This made Gazelle laugh and her smile returned, "Well, nevertheless, I'm happy for you two. Making such a good friend is a wonderful thing."

Judy was smiling more now, even giggling. "You can say that again! But gosh, I didn't expect that when we first met, no sir! It was-oh, sorry! I didn't mean to ramble."

Gazelle laughed again, waving it off. "Judy, don't you worry so much. I don't mind at all. If anything, I'd love to hear the story!"

Nodding, Judy then glanced over at me for a bit of help, "Uh... where do I start?"

I smiled and patted her shoulder, "How 'bout at the beginning? We met at that elephant cafe place."

"Right! Okay, well..." Judy turned back to face Gazelle, "It was actually my first day on the force. I was assigned parking duty, _of course_. After a while, I spotted a fox walking around nearby. And, well, after what happened during my childhood, I wasn't exactly... _trusting_ of them back then."

I felt my ears perk as I immediately looked over at her. What did she mean by that? A lot of questions burned in my mind, while worry was creeping over as well. As much as I wanted to, I kept my mouth shut about it for the time being.

"I went inside, then I saw the proprietor of the cafe giving Nick a hard time. Just because he was a fox. When all he wanted to do was buy a jumbo pop for his _pretend_ son. Yeah, let's just say looks can be deceiving. And yes, I fell for it," Judy admitted, rolling her eyes toward me.

"Hey, I wasn't doing anything illegal, Carrots. I was just being dishonest," I told her with a smirk, patting her head.

"And you conned me out of twenty dollars!" Judy argued playfully, laughing.

"I was actually perfectly intent on paying," I said with a snicker, "I just... well, figured that since you were so gullible, you'd definitely pick up the tab."

"You sneak!" Judy playfully slapped me on the arm.

"Not really! I actually didn't have my wallet!" I grinned, poking her nose.

Judy snorted and poked my nose back. "Then how were you going to pay for it?!"

"With money, of course."

"What money?! You said you didn't have your wallet!"

I grinned and indicated to one of my pockets. "I didn't. Doesn't mean I didn't have money on me!"

Staring at me for a few seconds, Judy snorted and laughed again, slapping my leg with her paw. "I will get you for that! You owe me twenty dollars, fuzzy!"

"No problem," I said with a wink.

Now Gazelle and her dancers were laughing a bit at us, nudging each other a little bit.

"You two are so silly," Gazelle smiled, wiping her eyes again, "Please, do continue the story. This is quite fun!"

"Of course, sorry!" Judy said sheepishly, then cleared her throat, "Anyway, maybe it was a hustle in hindsight, but I could tell that the prejudice against him _was_ real. I still stood up for him and I don't regret doing that."

I smiled and squeezed her shoulder, even nuzzling her a little bit. She smiled and patted my paw in return.

"Of course, after I discovered it was all one big hustle to sell popsicles, I wasn't too pleased. I confronted him, and, let's just say we didn't get along," Judy went on to say.

"Nope," I put in, snickering a bit, "I thought she was a dumb bunny with incredibly naive and misguided big dreams. But it wasn't until she hustled me right back that I began to realize I was misjudging her."

Judy grinned widely at this, "Oh, yes I did! I won't get into the details, since that's personal, but let's just say... I had to hold something over his head to get him to help me on the missing mammals case. Remember when I said we didn't get along at first? Yeah. It was the epitome of the fact that our species used to be natural enemies. Luckily, it wasn't long before I could see he was definitely an essential part of helping me with the case."

Gazelle laughed again, shaking her head and fixing her hair. "I can certainly understand that, believe me. But I am so thrilled that you two were able to form such a partnership! I'm glad that it all worked out, for the case and also the two of you."

Judy looked over at me and I could swear her eyes were shining. We wanted to chat it up more, but one of Gazelle's PR guys said time was up. Luckily, I managed to get a few pictures of her and Judy, some of which having the tigers photobombing. Gazelle then gave her a personalized autograph photo, then had Judy sign an autograph for her as well! I could tell Judy was sad about leaving, they were hitting it off so well. But don't worry, I had a plan. I just had to sweet-talk Gazelle a little bit.

Not that it was any trouble, she was more than happy to do it for Judy.

Afterward, we were escorted out and headed to the exit. Naturally, Judy was bouncy and giggly the entire time, which I couldn't blame her for. Meeting one of her idols had to be one of the highlights of her life, aside from officially becoming a cop.

"Wow! Nick... Nick, can you believe this?! I sure can't! I mean, I have to, since it happened, but still! WOW!" Judy exclaimed gleefully, holding her paws to her cheeks.

"Well, I sure hope you can, because if that's not the case, then I'm dreaming," I said with a smirk.

"Oh, you goof!" Judy playfully punched me on the arm, "But really, thank you for tonight! It was amazing!"

I chuckled and patted her head, "Hey, you're welcome Carrots. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I did!" Judy beamed, reaching into her pocket for the car keys, "But you know what? I'm really glad you were there with me. I think it just... made it better!"

"Aw, of course I did! A fox like me makes _everything_ better!" I said smarmily, winking at her.

Rolling her eyes, Judy stuck her tongue out at me, "Har har. But I'm serious, Nick! I'm just so happy to be here with you."

The thought made me blush and smile. Of course I knew her feelings on the matter, but I guess you can call it ego-stroking to hear those words.

"I mean..." Judy went on, rubbing the back of her neck as we walked, "I'd like to do something like this again, Nick."

"Really now?" I looked at her, then chuckled, "Well sure, I can definitely take us on urban outings again. Next time, we'll catch a movie."

Judy grinned, "Sounds good! You buy the tickets, I'll get the popcorn."

"Jumbo, so we can share?"

"You read my mind!"

We fist-bumped, laughing to each other as we headed off to find her car. Our "date", so to speak, was only half over, and it was going way better. I hadn't felt this stoked going out with someone, let alone Judy, in a long time. I just hoped we could keep it up.


	5. Part 5

**Just taking a moment to thank all of you! :) It's been so much fun writing this out! And also, a big thanks to my awesome friend Azure129, who's been a huge help to me! And another special thanks to my friend Poison Cure (from ) who's been helping me out. :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"It's only nine?! I thought it would be a lot later than that!"

"Time sure flies or crawls when you least expect it, Carrots."

Judy giggled and reached for another carrot from her basket, happily munching on it. I watched with amusement while I popped another fried cricket into my mouth. We'd been at Walt Fishney's for a little while now, just munching on some appetizers and downing some much-needed beverages. Concerts sure did make you thirsty!

"That's true. Like when we were at the DMV..." Judy's voice trailed off as she looked at me wryly.

"How could I forget? Good ol' Flash, One-Hundred-Yard-Dash!" I laughed, shaking my head. "Hey, I said he was fast."

"For a _sloth_!" Judy snorted. "So, is that even his real name?"

"Yeah, it is," I chuckled, "I think his parents were just trying to be ironic."

Judy grinned at me, sipped her water, and then composed herself. "That's... actually... the case... Nick..."

I stared at her, then burst out laughing and slapped my knee a bit. I don't know why Judy underestimated how funny she could be! Seriously. I could count on one paw the amount of times a girl I liked could make me laugh.

"Carrots, I just gotta say, Flash would be proud," I said with a grin, managing to stop laughing so hard.

"I don't want to be mean or insult him, though," Judy said hesitantly.

I shook my head, waving it off with my paw, "Nah, don't worry! He doesn't mind that. Do you know how many times I've imitated him right to his face?"

"A lot?" Judy smiled now.

Snickering, I nodded and sipped my juice, "You betcha. He finds it pretty funny! Of course he'll point out if my pitch or timing is off, though. Speaking of Flash..." I pulled out my phone and opened up a few texts he'd sent me awhile ago. "He and Priscilla were at the concert together."

"Were they? Wow!" Judy giggled, "What a small world!"

"And getting smaller," I winked at her and then put my phone away.

She drank again, then looked around the restaurant a bit. After a few moments, her smile faded and she grabbed her menu, hiding her face behind it. This really surprised me since it wasn't like her at all. What was going on?

"Carrots? Carrots, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to peer over the menu.

"Nothing! Just, just sit there and read your menu, don't turn around!" Judy whispered.

I frowned, then turned around to try to see what she was looking at. "What's going on? Why are you hiding?"

"Just be quiet!" Judy hissed, "And I told you not to turn around!"

I sighed, then put my paw on her menu and pushed it back down. I didn't want to embarrass her, but this was getting out of hand. "Judy, what's wrong? You can tell me."

Judy looked at me nervously, her nose twitching a little. She finally averted her gaze and sighed, "I'm sorry. I just... I saw somebody I knew come into the restaurant and I didn't want them to see me."

"Why?" I asked, putting my paw over hers. "Did something happen with them?"

"No! I just... Nick, I have to tell you something," Judy said, her ears drooping. She bit her lip, then looked at me again. "You remember when you asked me if I was seeing anybody?"

"Yeah..." I said, prompting her to continue.

"Well, I kind of lied about that," Judy murmured, looking away from me again, "I'm not seeing him anymore, but... I actually did, for a couple of dates."

I had to admit, I could feel my fur bristling and my tail stiffening up. This wasn't boding well at all. I had way too many questions, not least of which being where he was so I could go stuff him down the nearest chimney. Then again, I wasn't a violent kind of person, so that wasn't happening. Still, I already didn't like this guy.

Jeez, jealousy really didn't set well on me at all.

"...When was this?" I managed to say.

"While you were at the academy, I started seeing this guy. He's a district attorney and he works with us at the ZPD sometimes," Judy explained with a sigh. "His name is Greg and he's an arctic hare. He's actually sitting right over there in that booth near the back."

She pointed and I followed the direction. An arctic hare was sitting in a booth with a beaver and an ox, all of them wearing business suits. It was hard to tell what their agenda was, but they were clearly having a good time. That was when I recognized him, it was Greg Harrison, one of the biggest lawyers in his side of Zootopia. Hey, I knew everyone. Even the guys he was sitting with worked in his building.

Still, all I could think of was the fact that she had been seeing someone. I gripped the table a bit hard, then looked back at her, "Did he... Did he treat you badly? Is that why you don't want him seeing you?" As much as the thought sickened me, I couldn't help but ask.

"What? No! No, nothing like that!" Judy shook her head rapidly. "He was a complete gentleman."

Once again, my fur bristled. This guy was an attorney, a hare, and apparently treated her like a Princess. Not that she didn't deserve the best, but boy it wasn't helping my jealousy.

"So, he must've been a great guy, treated you like royalty and now you're avoiding him? Oh, Great Scott! The horror! Somebody hide the children! It's the end of all mammalkind!" I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Har har," Judy rolled her eyes playfully and cracked a smile, "No, it's just that things didn't work out between us. We went out on a couple of dates and I just didn't feel that spark. I wasn't sure why, it just wasn't. But then again, it was partially my own fault."

I blinked, surprised at this bit of information. What could she have done? "What makes you say that?"

"He said to me that I tended to talk about you all the time," Judy murmured, rubbing her arm nervously. "He even asked me if I was on the _rebound_!"

I couldn't believe my ears. Judy talked about me a lot? Enough that it bothered a potential suitor? He even assumed she was on a rebound? It sure made me wish I was a fly on the wall for _that_ conversation!

"Wow, Carrots," I said with a shake of my head, "That's a whole new twist on thinking we're a couple!"

"I know, right? I can't believe he thought I was still hung up on an ex I apparently had!" Judy snorted, giggling a little. She then grew serious again, sighing as she leaned back in her seat, "Still, I felt bad, but he was very nice about it. That's good and all, but it just kind of discouraged me."

I reached over and touched her paw again, even rubbing it a little, "Hey, come on. It didn't work out, no big deal. I'm sorry to hear that, though. But why the big secret?"

Judy looked at me, then put her paw on top of mine, "I really don't know. I guess I just felt that since it didn't go anywhere and ended so fast, it wasn't worth mentioning. Maybe I just felt a little ashamed or something."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Judy," I assured her with a smile.

Yeah, I'll admit it, I was actually pretty stoked to hear it didn't work out. So much so, that my tail was swishing a little bit. I definitely had a chance now! I just had to play it cool and be there for her. We were still friends first and foremost. Despite everything, I couldn't help feeling bad for her. I could only imagine that she must have felt like something was wrong with her, like she couldn't hold down a boyfriend or something.

All things considered, I didn't think that was true. Judy had her flaws and issues like anyone else, but I knew that any guy would be lucky to have her. She was amazing, plain and simple.

"I guess not," Judy finally said, looking down at our paws, "Still, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. If anything, that's kind of what gets to me the most, not telling you until now."

I waved it off and patted her paw, "Don't worry about it, Carrots. It's not like it was something I _needed_ to know! Besides, it's in the past."

"I know, but still. There was no real reason not to tell you, either. If anything, I just ended up lying to you," Judy's ears drooped again, "And I'm sorry for that."

Seeing her this way caused a sting in my gut. So this was why she was torn up about it, then. I sighed a bit and shook my head, "It's okay, Carrots. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Okay," Judy said as she managed to smile a bit, "I guess I really am just a dumb bunny."

"Hey, you don't need me to tell you that," I winked at her.

"Hey!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I _wasn't_ supposed to agree with you?"

Sticking her tongue out at me, Judy then took another carrot and popped it into her mouth. She grinned at me moments later, leaning over on the table a bit, "Well, if I'm a dumb bunny, then you're also a dumb fox."

"Are you saying that you're a carrier?" I leaned over the table as well, giving her a smirk.

"No, that'd be you! I was smart and top of my class before you came along!" Judy poked my nose.

We laughed and slapped each other a high-paw, once again feeling like we were actually twelve years old. The more we munched, the more I noticed Judy concealing her yawns. It was getting late, but she was looking pretty tired. The fact she was still trying to hold herself together was pretty admirable, I had to admit.

"So..." Judy began, looking a bit apprehensive. I wasn't sure I liked where this was going, but I let her continue anyway. "Nick, can I ask you a personal question?"

Yep. This was already getting uncomfortable. But I just couldn't bring myself to say no to her. Not after everything we'd been through. I leaned back and nodded, "What's on your mind?"

"Well, we'll be seeing your mother tomorrow, which is great!" Judy smiled, then looked serious, "Although, I was wondering... where's your father? I mean, is he... around?"

I knew it. Saw it coming the second she mentioned my mother. Then again, it wasn't exactly a hugely heavy topic to discuss. It just wasn't something I openly brought up to anyone. In fact, I hadn't talked about it in a long time.

It brought me back to when I'd told her about my bullying situation with the Ranger Scouts. I could remember feeling compelled to tell her, because I was beginning to trust her. Because I knew how it felt to be prejudiced just for being a certain species. Maybe this was another one of those times. I could only guess, but I wasn't about to waste my time speculating too much.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced away slightly and shook my head, "Nope, he actually died when I was really little. Car accident."

Judy looked at me with shock, but then tried to hide it. Too late, but I guess I couldn't blame her. Hearing that kind of thing was never easy to take in. I was even willing to bet that she didn't really want to think of the mortality of her own father.

But being me, I had to try to get her feeling better. So I gave a small smile and touched her paw.

"Hey, come on. Don't get emotional on me, Carrots. I barely even remember him, anyway. I have pictures, Mom tells me stories, and I know he was a good dad. It's sad he's gone, but I've come to terms with it. You can't really miss what you never knew."

She nodded and smiled slightly, "I know... I just can't imagine how that feels. But I guess that was why you and your mother had a hard time?"

I nodded, squeezing her paw, "Yeah, pretty much. After Dad died, Mom had to work double shifts just to keep me in school. Then, when I was twelve, she lost her job. And you can imagine, twenty years ago, it was a lot harder for a fox to find a job in Zootopia."

Judy nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.

"In fact, it kinda brings me to why I started hustling," I said, giving a laugh. "It was easy, I just had to say the right things, follow the right steps, and I was golden. Mom didn't know at first, I just told her I had some odd jobs and a paper route."

"Wow..." Judy murmured, rubbing my paw a little bit. She looked at me, then wiped her eyes, "Is that what you did with the money you made?"

I looked down at our paws, feeling mesmerized for a moment. I swear I felt warmer where she touched me. "Yeah. Well, aside from living expenses and whatever, I gave the rest I didn't need to Mom. Just so she didn't have to work so hard."

Now Judy was looking away from me, a mix of emotions on her face. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. Whatever it was, she went quiet for a minute or so. Finally, she looked back at me before softly asking, "So... I guess that's why you weren't... well, paying taxes?"

I knew that would come up. But unlike the first time, she wasn't holding it over my head in blackmail. She just wanted the facts. Nonetheless, I knew what I had to do. "Pretty much, Carrots. And I wasn't exactly earning in a conventional matter, so you can say it's not really something you want to declare and have tracked. It's what they call 'making money under the table'."

"I guess..." Judy looked away again, then sighed, "Wow. I can't believe what I was thinking. I just about-"

Now it hit me. She felt bad for calling me out on felony tax evasion. Oh no, I couldn't let her feel that. Not after all this! I shook my head and took her paws in mine, squeezing them, "Judy, don't do that. You don't have to feel bad for it. For one thing, it was an awesome hustle you pulled on me! Be proud of it. Second, you were just doing your job. It's not exactly a bad thing for a cop to call somebody out on that kind of thing."

She looked at me with surprise, then the unreadable gaze returned, "I know that, Nick. But what I mean is, I realize that there are these tough moments. Like... a poor animal stealing a can of soup from a supermarket just to feed their family for one night. What do you even do? Charge them for the crime, or just let it go?"

"Aw, Carrots..." I said softly, seeing where it was all going, "Come on, I know it's tough to figure that out. But think of it this way. If you didn't hold that over my head, would we even be here right now?"

Judy opened her mouth to respond, then she paused, before giggling a little. Her smile returned, much to my relief, "Good point! And, uh, I may have _conveniently_ misplaced those papers since then," she winked at me.

I grinned and laughed, shaking my head. "You are one sneaky bunny."

"That I am, my dear. I am," Judy winked at me as she ate the last carrot. She looked down at the empty basket and gave a tiny pout. "I'm still hungry."

She flagged down the waitress and asked her to bring some garlic bread. As for me, I opted to get some fried crickets. Judy of course made a face, which I laughed at. She was too cute when looking grossed out.

"Huh, didn't know that bunnies were known for an insatiable appetite," I quipped with a snicker after the waitress brought us our food.

Rolling her eyes, Judy stuck her tongue out at me and grinned, "Har har. I think you and I both know _exactly_ what we're known to be insatiable for."

Right then, I felt my fur stand up on end and my cheeks get hot. I couldn't believe that she made _that_ kind of joke! Still, I laughed it off and gave her a playful swat on the arm.

"So you _do_ think about it!" I teased, winking at her.

"Well _of course_ I do!" Judy rolled her eyes playfully again, giggling, "Nick, come on. I'm not a prude! I'm twenty-four, I have needs, and of course I ovulate."

Not gonna lie, it felt a little weird talking about this with her. Mostly due to the mild tingles I could feel from certain thoughts entering my mind. But I brushed them off, since it just didn't matter. We could still talk about this sort of thing and not make it awkward. Maybe I'd tease her, but that was about it.

"So you're affected by ovulating and being in heat?" I asked with a chuckle, leaning my chin on my paw.

Judy nodded and took another sip of her drink. "Well, technically yes. The thing is, female bunnies don't exactly have a period of oestrus cycles. It's kind of _always_ there, while ovulation occurs after coitus or similar stimuli."

" _Coitus_? What are we, in the fifties?" I teased, laughing a bit.

"Nick, come on!" Judy punched me on the arm lightly, snickering. "But you get what I mean. It's not something that really comes and goes."

"Guess it explains why having so many kits comes easy!"

She giggled and shook her head, crossing her arms, "Har har. But that _is_ true. Did you know that a bunny's pregnancy can vary depending on the size of the litter?"

Interesting. My ears perked forward while I straightened up a little, "Really? How come?"

"Well, usually if a bunny has a smaller litter of say four kits or less, then the pregnancy lasts longer. On average with a larger litter, it's about thirty-odd days," Judy pulled out her phone and started to check through it. "How about a fox's pregnancy?"

"Depends on the type," I said with a mild shrug, rubbing my chin a bit. "But on average, about fifty-two days."

Nodding, Judy scrolled through her phone for a few moments, "...Huh, interesting. It says that foxes usually have a litter on average of about four or five kits," she glanced up at me and smirked, "Soooo, you got three or four brothers and sisters I don't know about?"

I couldn't help laughing, not just at what she said, but just the topic itself. I never really talked about this kind of thing, at least not seriously, with anyone except my mother. But look at us now! Who would've thought this would be fun? So I leaned back and shook my head, "Nah, I'm an only child. According to my mom, Dad didn't exactly have a high fertility rate, so they were lucky to have even had me at all."

"Oh, wow…" Judy looked at me with sympathy, then nodded as she went back to her phone, "Well, then I have to agree, they definitely were lucky to have had you."

"How dare you," I said with a smirk.

She looked at me and stuck her tongue out.

I did it back, then kept the conversation going, "So, what about you? Did you have littermates?"

"Yep! I have four littermates. Two sisters and a brother," Judy nodded as she looked up at me again. "I'm actually from the second litter."

Whistling, I leaned back again and chuckled, "So what, you're the eighth oldest?"

"Close! Seventh," Judy giggled. She thought for a few moments, then went back to her phone, "Nick… have you ever seen hybrid children?"

"A few, yeah. It's not exactly that common, even around Zootopia," I said with a shrug, "It is possible in most situations, kinda depends on the species. But sometimes you just can't. It'd be hard to get something between a hamster and a horse!"

Rolling her eyes, Judy scrolled through her phone a bit, then paused before looking toward me, and then back down again.

"What are you doing?" I asked her curiously.

"I know it might sound crazy, but I'm wondering if it's possible for a fox and a bunny to procreate," Judy admitted with a blush. "Just, you know! I'm curious! I've never seen that sort of thing before!"

That was a little out of nowhere. Why wonder that? Sure, I couldn't help entertaining the thought, but it was hardly on the forefront of my mind. Even though I was at a typical age to have been a father if I wanted to. Why did this suddenly pique Judy's interest?

Still, I had to play along. It was going to be fun to see how she'd react! "Ohhh, _really_? Considering on making some _funnies_?"

"...You did _not_ just make a pun about fox-bunny hybrids."

"What if I did?"

"You're the worst."

"You know you love me."

Judy stuck her tongue out at me, grinning. "Do I? Do I know that? Yes, yes I do."

Classic. Never gets old. "Anyway," I said as I leaned forward now, "I don't actually know about that. I'm willing to bet it was impossible way back when, though."

"Mm-hmm, figured." Judy replied as she scrolled through her phone, then stopped, "Huh! Well, look at that! It's possible! Very uncommon, though. Less than even two percent of hybrids come from foxes and bunnies. It's apparently possible, but not always easy to conceive. Huh…"

Wow. I hadn't actually expected anything, but it was sure nice to know it was possible for us to have kids if we wanted. Oh boy, there I go again. I had to stop thinking of all this stuff, it was making me crazy. There I was, with the girl I had a crush on, who I wasn't even dating, and I was thinking of possible offspring.

Luckily, I knew just the thing to get me back into a better spot. Teasing. So I leaned over toward her a bit, giving her a smirk, "Interesting facts, Carrots. So what's with all this baby talk? You're thinking of popping out some kits?"

Now she looked up at me with shock, then blushed heavily, "Nick! Jeez, no! I'm not ready for that! I especially don't want hundreds of them! No! I mean, sure, I figured maybe someday when I got settled in my career and with the right guy, I'd have a few! But not now!"

Too easy. I laughed and grinned at her, to which she pouted in return, "Just saying! Relax, I didn't think you were headed that way just yet. Heck, just the idea of you turning into your mother sounds alien!"

"Hey! She's a great mom, thank you very much!" Judy stuck her tongue out, but was giggling. "I do have to agree, though. I could never do what she'd done, not to that level. Besides, I live in the city! I don't think having hundreds of children in the big city would be a good idea!"

"You can say that again," I snickered, "Even I knew if I wanted kids, I'd hope that my future wife didn't have a huge litter."

"I can't say I blame you! I always hoped I'd have just one!" Judy giggled, holding her paws to her mouth. "I don't have to worry, though. They've developed a great birth control special for bunnies over the past couple decades. I've been taking them since I hit puberty."

Even though we weren't exactly loud, I couldn't help wondering just how weird our conversation must've looked. A male and female, who were just friends, comfortably talking about sex and children. I definitely couldn't imagine scenarios like this, but they had to be possible. Sure, I couldn't help feeling slightly off, but definitely not enough to stop it. There was just something about approaching a lot of topics with Judy that made it easy. Maybe now was just one of those times. Taking a chance and going for it even without certainty of the result.

And it felt pretty good.

"Smart move," I said with a smile, then flagged the waitress over for a drink refill. I leaned back in my chair a bit, stretching. "I'll tell you one thing, Carrots. We foxes mate for life."

"Really? Aw, that's great! Same here, actually." Judy smiled brightly as she leaned over a bit. "It's kind of why I hadn't gotten into… well, mating with just anyone. I know it might sound naive and pretty dumb, but I just wanted to wait until I met the right guy. Whether it's before or after I marry him. I didn't want to settle or experiment, you know?"

I could tell she was expecting me to tease her about that, but I just couldn't. Not only did I not have the heart to do that, but it was something even I hoped for. Sure, I slipped in the past, but it definitely didn't change my resolve.

"Nah, that's not silly, Carrots. Having standards and respecting yourself is a good thing. Just don't go around hoping for Perfect McHandsome!" Okay, I couldn't resist a little jab.

"Believe me, I know Perfect McHandsome doesn't exist!" Judy giggled, reaching over and swatting my paw. She yawned again as she settled in her seat, then held up her newly freshened drink. "So hey, how about a toast?"

"Sure, why not?" I held up my own glass, "What'll we toast to?"

"How about… to our futures and for not settling?" Judy smiled.

I smiled and tipped my glass to hers, "Hear hear, Carrots."

Judy then added as she clinked hers to mine, "And also, to your first week as a cop! I'm _so_ proud of you."

Awwwww. What a sweetheart. I couldn't help blushing and smiling more, "Thanks, Carrots. You're the best."

We drank down our juices, then went back to munching in silence for a while. I kept an eye on Judy as I noticed her looking more and more tired. I couldn't tell if she was trying to hide it, but it still concerned me a little.

After the waitress brought us the bill, I could see that Judy was yawning moreso than usual. I hadn't wanted to say anything at first, but I figured now I should. There was no way I could let her just leave like this.

"Carrots? You okay?" I asked, touching her arm gently.

Looking up at me tiredly, Judy blinked and giggled, "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired, that's all. It's been a pretty long day. Boy, I'm gonna have a long drive ahead of me, plus I have to drop _you_ off…"

I frowned slightly, not liking the sound of this. "Are you sure? You live well on the other side of the city."

"I'll be okay, Nick. It's not like I'm driving to Bunnyburrow!" Judy laughed a bit, waving it off.

"Even so, I'm not exactly crazy about you driving when you're half-asleep," I said while shaking my head.

An idea came to me then. It felt crazy, but I figured to give it a shot. Maybe Judy would be surprised, but I doubted that she would be freaked out. Of course I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but I knew it was probably the better option for tonight.

"Carrots, how about you come back to my place?" I suggested. "It's closer to here and I can drive us so you don't tire yourself out."

Judy looked at me with surprise, as I expected, and then bit her lip. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

That's good, she wasn't freaked out. Why did I need to worry? I knew she trusted me. With a smile, I nodded and then finished my snack, "You wouldn't be, I just invited you. You can spend the night, we'll hang out all day tomorrow, and then go see my mother. How about it?"

She was quiet for about a minute or so, but that was okay. I gave her some time to think about it. It was pretty easy to tell that she wasn't used to this sort of thing, let alone with another guy.

Finally, Judy gave a smile and nodded a bit, "You know, that does sound like a great idea. I'll just have to go home at some point tomorrow so I can change."

"No problem, we can do that on the way tomorrow," I grinned, patting her paw, "So it's settled. Let's go, shall we?"

Judy nodded and sipped her drink before grabbing the last piece of garlic bread, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Once we made sure the bill was payed, I took Judy's paw and carefully led her out of the restaurant. She didn't protest and followed me along, yawning every now and again. Once we were outside in the cool air, she leaned against her car and sighed slightly. I gave her a look and she pouted playfully.

"Keys," I said with a smirk, holding my free paw out to her.

"Yeah yeah," Judy snorted, then reached into her pocket before placing the ring of keys into my paw. "Let's just go."

* * *

The drive didn't even take long, about ten minutes. But I could tell Judy was getting more and more drowsy as we went on. Lucky for her, my building had an elevator, and so it wasn't long before we crossed the threshold.

The look on her face when she saw the inside of my apartment was _priceless_! I was tempted to take a picture, but decided against it. No matter, the image was going to be burned into my memory forever. She looked genuinely shocked, like she truly didn't expect me of all people to have a nice place like this. Granted, it was no luxury penthouse, but I guess anyone would've thought it was _too_ nice for a fox.

"Your… Your place… I can fit at least _three_ of mine in here!" Judy exclaimed, looking all around herself. She took a few steps forward, then peered into the bathroom, and the bedroom. "Nick! I cannot believe you never told me! Wow!"

Did I say she was drowsy before? Yeah, I take it back.

"What was there to tell?" I chuckled, patting her on the head, "I'd give you a grand tour, but there isn't much. Plus, I bet you're exhausted."

Judy blinked at me, then nodded, "Yeah, I guess I am pretty tired now. So, do I sleep on your couch?" She pointed over to it, "Or do you have an air mattress? I'm good either way, I'm not very picky."

When it came to having guests spend the night, that wasn't exactly something I was experienced with. The only other person who did was Finnick or my mother. This was a whole different situation, one I didn't exactly expect, let alone so soon. So much of myself wanted to get in bed with her and cuddle all night long. But no way was I going to scare her off. Besides, we were just friends.

Still, I wanted her to be comfortable. And I knew just the thing.

"No way, Carrots. You're going to take my bed," I said with a grin.

"What?" Judy looked surprised, "But, but it's your bed! I can't just take it!"

"Why not? This is my place, that's my bed, so therefore, I can make that choice. And I choose for you to sleep in my bed," I smirked, winking at her. "What, you're afraid it'll smell too much like fox?"

"No! I just… well I…" Judy looked away, wringing her paws a little bit.

I held up a paw, giving a smile, "Let me guess. You've probably had sleepovers when you were a kid. When you did, you usually slept on their floor, guest room, couch, or what have you. But never on their actual bed, right?"

Judy nodded slowly, "Yeah."

"Well, I can see why. But today, that's gonna change. I'm allowing you to sleep in my bed tonight! And don't worry, I changed the sheets this morning since it was laundry day," I assured, leading the way to my room and turning on the light.

She followed behind me, then came into the room completely to look around. When her eyes fell on my bed, she tensed up slightly and blushed. I'm not sure what she was thinking, but it was still adorable. But I was willing to bet that she wasn't used to such a big bed. Then again, it was a double bed meant for small wolves, which was pretty big for a fox.

"Are you sure, Nick? I understand that you're being thoughtful and I do appreciate it. But you really don't have to give me your bed," Judy murmured, not quite looking at me.

So humble. It was way too cute. Still, I shook my head and went to open one of my drawers, "Don't even worry about it, Carrots. I wouldn't have offered if I really didn't want you to."

She looked at me, as if to say something, but then stopped. After a moment, she giggled, "Yeah, that's true."

"Atta girl," I smirked, then took out a shirt and handed it to her, "You can wear this to sleep. It'll be big, but it's comfy."

Giggling, Judy took the shirt and unfolded it. "Thanks a lot, I just realized I didn't have a change of clothes."

I snickered and headed out of the room to let her change, "Way to go, Carrots. I thought you were supposed to be prepared for _anything_."

"Har har," Judy rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me.

Closing the door behind me, I went into the living room and started setting up the couch to sleep on. Aside from naps, I didn't sleep on it extensively, but I didn't think one night would affect me. After a little while, Judy emerged from my room and looked at me with a sheepish smile. I wasn't sure why, but I was immediately captivated by how adorable she looked in my shirt. The colour itself was nice on her, but it was the oversized look that just seemed to make her look tiny.

"Yes?" I chuckled, turning to her.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to have a spare toothbrush, would you?" Judy asked.

Whatever was getting her to act nervous was beyond me, but I decided not to call her out on it. I nodded and went into the hall closet, where I pulled out a small box and handed it to her.

"Dentist," I explained with a grin. "I always buy electric toothbrushes, but they still give me those. So I keep 'em to have spares."

"Smart," Judy giggled, taking the toothbrush out and heading to the bathroom, "And now it's mine! Guess you'll be keeping it close by, huh?"

"Why, planning on staying overnight more often?" I teased with a smirk, watching as she went into the bathroom. "If that's the case, I might have to get a Murphy Bed!"

"Nick!" Judy laughed before she went to work on brushing her teeth.

Joke or not, the idea definitely sounded interesting. But I was going to have to see how we fared out tonight first. On top of that, I didn't think getting too used to the idea would help matters. Appealing as it may have felt, I knew I had to do right by her first.

I sat back on the couch, leaning back a little as I listened to the sounds of her brushing and spitting. It was still hard to believe this was happening. Judy Hopps of all people was spending the night at my place. If we were caught or seen by our coworkers, there was no way they'd let us hear the end of it. There was no way they'd think something didn't happen.

I didn't want to put Judy through that. Luckily, we didn't have work tomorrow, otherwise we'd have a lot of explaining to do. Even though she sometimes picked me up in the mornings, we didn't make a huge habit of showing up together all the time. Now I knew I had to be careful about doing that.

It was no wonder I had a couple of used car ads circled from a printout on my coffee table.

"All done!" Judy announced as she emerged from the bathroom, "I hope I didn't hog your bathroom too long."

I smiled and waved it off, "Nah, you didn't. You going to bed?"

"Oh yes, I'm pretty tired now," Judy nodded as she stretched, "Thank you so much again for letting me stay here, Nick. I think I am glad I don't have to drive like this."

"Hey, you're welcome. I know you'd do the same for me~" I winked at her. "Come to think of it, I could've just driven you home and then took the subway."

Judy blinked, wide-eyed, before she facepalmed, "I did _not_ think of that…"

Laughing, I got up and patted her head, "Don't worry about it, Carrots. Let's just get to bed."

"Sounds good to me," Judy giggled, yawning a bit.

"You want me to come wead you a bedtime stowy and tuck you in?" I said in a smarmy tone, smirking at her.

Rolling her eyes, Judy grinned and punched me on the shoulder, "Good _night_ , Nick."

"Night, Carrots." I chuckled, rubbing my shoulder.

She smiled and waved at me before she went into my room, closing the door behind her. Going back to the couch, I lay down on my makeshift bed setting and sighed. I was a lot more tired than I thought, but it was definitely a good tired. Tonight had been awesome, just as I'd hoped for. Now there was a bonus of her spending the night in my place, who'd have thought?

Well, I just had to take it for what it was and not let it get to me. I was doing her a favour, not servicing my own desires. She deserved better than that.

Yawning, I pulled the blanket over me and closed my eyes. Reflecting tonight was going to have to wait until tomorrow.


	6. Interlude: Reunion

**Well, for this bit, I had a plan in mind, but it just didn't work out. And looking back, I really should have included this scene back in part one. It fits pretty well with the theme!**

 **So, I decided to still post it here as a little bonus sort of thing. Don't worry! There is still going to be more to the story after this, but I still wanted to bring it out. And the reason why it's italicized was because it was originally going to be a dream/memory, since it's based on a certain scene. So now it can just that, a memory!**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _A whole week had gone by, which felt like the longest week of my entire life. It felt like a blur by this point. But the beginning was a clear memory, as if it were yesterday. I knew I'd never forget those words Judy was saying during that conference. About predators going savage due to a biological component. Those implications stung me hard; seeing the missing mammals being muzzled and tied down was horrifying enough._

 _But the worst part wasn't even that. It was hearing them from her. From the one person I met in my lifetime who truly believed in me. Who saw past my being a fox and knew I could be more. The same bunny who gave me an application form to become a police officer. And her partner. I couldn't believe what I'd been seeing._

 _Ever since I walked out and essentially "broke up" with her (heh heh), I ended up doing a lot of thinking. I was hurt, sad, scared, and really miserable. More than I'd ever felt in my life. Everything about the situation stung me inside. Moreover, I didn't know what to do with myself. But there was one thing I knew for sure._

 _After I cleared my head as best I could, I thought about the case. I realized didn't know the reason for the predators going savage any better than she did. But something about it being biological just made no sense to me. Why would it be happening now? Last I checked (to an extent), predators didn't just randomly go savage. I couldn't find any recordings of it in newspapers or history documents, so I had a feeling it wasn't that._

 _But even I was at a dead end about what had happened and why. I realized, I couldn't blame Judy for saying what she did. It made me question my own actions. Was I too hard on her? Did I really have to walk away? I wasn't even sure anymore. But after a while, I began to miss her more than I felt angry at her. The entire situation hurt, but not having her around was beginning to hurt even more._

 _During one afternoon, I was down near an abandoned warehouse, which was a hangout spot I'd had for a long time. It was where I came to be alone, to think, and just escape life a little bit. There I was, sitting on my chair, having a drink and enjoying the sunny day._

 _I was really surprised to hear Judy's voice calling my name, yet on some level, I wasn't. Whether it was knowing it would happen or wishful thinking, I didn't know. Either way, I had to keep my cool when I knew she found me. Oh sure, I forgave her, and I wanted her back in my life. No question about that._

 _But I knew I couldn't give in that easily. As much as I wanted to, I had to approach it with caution. Once I knew for sure that she realized what happened, then I'd welcome her back. I really hoped she did. After all this time, I couldn't imagine the rest of my life going by without her. This past week was enough to show me how lonely and miserable it truly was._

 _I just had to play my cards right. I had to see how she felt._

" _Oh, Nick...! Nighthowlers aren't wolves! They're toxic flowers!" I heard Judy yell as she came down toward me. "I think someone is targeting predators on purpose and making them go savage."_

 _Unbelievable. I didn't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. She had somehow discovered something about the case and was expecting me to just mosey along? Like nothing happened? I wanted to feel upset, but I had no strength to feel anything. There was something about Judy here, she didn't seem to be uncaring about the situation. But why wasn't she bringing it up?_

 _Still, if she wanted to get through to me, it was going to take more than that. I put my cup down on the ground next to my chair, then stood up as I took off my sunglasses. "Wow, isn't that interesting," I muttered as I put them aside and walked toward the underside of the bridge._

 _Okay, I admit it. I was acting._

 _Judy was silent for a moment, but I could practically see her ears drooping. Almost immediately, she scampered after me. "Wait! Wait-please, I know you'll never forgive me, and I don't blame you! I wouldn't forgive me either."_

 _I came to a stop on the other side, now listening to her. Somehow I expected this to happen, and boy was I glad it did. I didn't want her to feel bad about what happened, I just wanted her to realize it. It was taking all my strength not to say anything. Then again, letting her get it all out was probably the best option anyway, so I let her._

" _I was ignorant and irresponsible and small-minded. Predators shouldn't suffer because of my mistakes. I have to fix this, but I can't do it without you." Judy went on, clearly beginning to sound distressed,_

 _I just hoped she didn't notice or hear that I pulled out the carrot pen and started recording. What better way to show I forgave her? Not gonna lie, I was feeling bad for making her think I didn't care, but it was part of what I had to do._

" _And... And after we're done, you can hate me, and that'll be fine..." Judy uttered, sounding ready to cry._

 _Clearly, she didn't like that idea at all. Did she really think I hated her? No way. Even back when I left the conference, I didn't hate her. What she said hurt me for sure, but I could never hate her._

 _I wanted to say something, so she'd stop being so sad. I couldn't take it. It was hard to listen to, but I had to keep it up. Just a little longer. She needed this._

" _Because I was a horrible friend and I hurt you! And you-you can walk away... knowing that you were right... all along! I really am just a dumb bunny!" Judy was crying now, I didn't even need to look at her to know that._

 _Oh, this was too perfect. If I hadn't known that Judy felt bad about what happened and wanted to apologize before, I sure did now. I think we both needed it. So there it was. I stopped recording, then rewound it a little, and replayed the last bit._

"I really am just a dumb bunny! _" Came her voice on the pen._

 _Judy was still quiet from behind me, but I bet it caught her attention. Not gonna lie, it was a little funny hearing her genuinely call herself a dumb bunny. But it was perfect, just the right tool to let her know I forgave her. So I held up the pen and replayed her voice again, just to drive the point home._

"I really am just a dumb bunny! _"_

 _I smiled and turned around to face her. It was finally time to break the silence and make her feel better. And I was all too glad to do that. "Don't worry, Carrots. I'll let you erase it-in forty-eight hours."_

 _She looked at me with a bright smile through her tears and sniffled, wiping at her eyes. It warmed my heart more than I wanted to admit, but I couldn't deny it. Sure enough, the past week was just as hard on her as it had been on me. Maybe I was right at the time of the conference, but I didn't care about that anymore. I just wanted Judy back more than anything._

 _It wasn't always easy letting go, but if it meant forgiving Judy and being her friend again, that was worth more than pride._

 _I could tell just by looking at her that she needed a hug. A week ago, her touching me made me nervous. But this time, I didn't feel that at all. I wanted her to know she could lean on me. And frankly, I hadn't let that happen in a long time. Maybe it was time to let down that wall._

" _All right, get in here," I said gently, then opened my arms a bit._

 _Sure enough, she shuffled over to me, and lay her head against my chest. It was way too cute._

" _Okay... Oh, you bunnies. You're so emotional," I teased as I patted her on the head, then brought her a little closer. "There we go, deep breath." Now she was laughing a little bit, clearly relieved. "Are you trying to steal the pen? Is that what this is?"_

 _Judy laughed a bit, then reached up to halfheartedly reach for the pen. Of course she wasn't, but what better way to make this moment a little less awkward?_

 _Unfortunately, her step forward ended up landing her foot on my tail. Was it trying to wrap around her? Of course it was._

 _Traitor._

" _But you_ are _standing on my tail," I said as the discomfort increased, "Off-off-off-off!"_

" _I'm sorry!" Judy hopped off my tail, looking sheepish._

 _Honestly, I didn't care. I was way too happy to have my Carrots back._


End file.
